The Stranger

Known colloquially as “the Pulp documentary,” Eve Wood’s The Beat Is the Law: A Fanfare for the Common People is about so much more than that (great) band. Primarily, it’s a history of the amazing Sheffield music scene, from late-’70s post-punk through the globe-conquering house boom and into Britpop. Pulp is the through-line, with band members holding forth on all things Sheffield, and the whole thing culminating with Pulp’s underdog triumph at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival. It’s deeper and richer than your average music doc, diving into the political and economic realities underlying the music, and it’s terrific. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, www.nwfilmforum.org, 7 and 9 pm, $10) by David Schmader

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