Black Joy 1977

In London in the late 1970s, Ben Jones, Trevor Thomas, arrives at Heathrow Airport with a suitcase and a wallet full of money. Immigration officials doubt his naïve story that the cash came from his grandmother and subject him to a humiliating strip search. He then heads to Brixton in search of a mysterious address. A ten-year-old boy, Devon, spots him and offers to help locate the place if Ben pays him. When Ben foolishly reveals his fat wallet, Devon bolts with it, and Ben is left to sleep at a crowded hostel.

Norman Beaton as Dave King enters the picture as a charismatic petty crook who proves to be a complicated figure in Ben’s life. He pretends to be a grown-up and intercepts Ben’s wallet, yet he keeps the money, knowing Devon was the thief. That same evening, Dave attempts to seduce Miriam, but she resists, revealing she is recently pregnant. An argument erupts and Miriam confidently orders Dave to leave. The encounter sets up a tense, morally layered dynamic between the two men.

Ben’s precarious situation persists when he almost loses his suitcase at the hostel and must defend himself against the thief. He tracks Devon through Brixton to recover the wallet but is diverted by Devon’s beautiful aunt, Dawn Hope as Saffra, who draws him into a different path of misadventure. At Miriam’s café, Ben confronts Devon about the stolen wallet, but Dave steps in to smooth things over, quietly shielding Devon’s guilt while befriending Ben by loaning him some money. Unaware that Dave’s cash comes from his own stolen funds, Ben accompanies Dave to a betting shop, where an unlikely win on a horse ride helps him secure new shelter.

Ben then finds work as a dustman, only to lose it again after handing his earnings to a fraudulent landlord. With nowhere else to sleep, he asks Dave to share a flat, and Dave agrees, imposing a skewed, controlling set of rules that Ben—still naïve—accepts. In the flat, Ben begins to decorate and tries to impress Saffra, even offering a family heirloom ring, which Saffra returns, saying its value is more sentimental than financial.

The situation grows more tense as Dave discovers Ben’s virginity and arranges a trip to Soho with a recklessly hedonistic agenda—sex shops, strip clubs, and a prostitute. In Soho, Ben meets Sally, a white woman who seduces him, and he loses his virginity in this fast-moving, culturally sharp chapter of his life. Sally’s presence injects a new energy into the circle of friends and rivals surrounding Ben.

Meanwhile, Dave’s luck at a poker table runs dry, and he goes back to Miriam, only to find her shaken by an abortion she has just undergone. Dave’s cruelty is revealed to be a shared and cyclical pattern of manipulation, which Miriam’s anger sharpens. With encouragement from Sally, Ben confronts Dave about the pattern of abuse, and Dave hints that Ben’s naivety has also contributed to his own downfall. The confrontation leaves Ben wiser, and he resolves to remain friends with Dave rather than be dragged further into his schemes.

The plot thickens when Dave engineers a car deal through Jomo, a loan shark who is also Saffra’s sometime boyfriend. Dave takes Jomo’s Buick and money, driving Miriam, Ben, and Saffra toward Margate for an overnight break. They spend heavily, and Dave loses the rest at a casino. The group returns home, but the trip ends up revealing the fragility of their alliances. Ben and Saffra spend a night together, though Saffra remains non-committal.

In the morning, Dave asks Ben for cash to cover the bills, but Ben refuses. He suggests buying Jomo’s car with a receipt, and after some reluctance, Dave agrees. The journey back to London culminates in a tense moment back in Brixton: Ben refuses to resell the Buick, standing up to Jomo who tries to force the sale. Ben’s resolve pays off, and Jomo relents. Gratefully, Dave looks on as Devon and Saffra join Ben in the Buick, and together they drive away, leaving behind a trail of lessons learned.

What unfolds is a layered portrait of ambition, exploitation, and growth within a close-knit, improvised world. The film traces Ben’s passage from vulnerability to a guarded sense of agency, while the other characters—Dave’s manipulative charm, Miriam’s strength, Devon’s boyish opportunism, Saffra’s alluring disarmament, and Sally’s provocative role—each leave an imprint on his evolving sense of trust, loyalty, and self-preservation.