Jimi: All Is by My Side

Written and directed by John Ridley, who penned the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, this rock 'n' roll portrait is a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on the key year that transformed guitarist Jimi Hendrix (played by OutKast's André Benjamin) from session player to superstar. We first meet him in 1966 in a New York nightclub, where he is talent-spotted by posh British model Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), girlfriend of Rolling Stone Keith Richards. Hendrix is a quiet, even simple man, but once Keith imports him to London he becomes much more complex, dumping Linda for the mouthy Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell). Though it never hints at the drug issues that took his life at 27, Ridley's film does an impressive job of explaining how Hendrix's mind expanded at this crucial time. Rights issues mean that we never hear his most famous songs, but a thunderous rendition of Sgt Pepper by Benjamin gives a woozy approximation of his talent.