The Smiths formed in Manchester in 1982 and split by 1987, and this film tells their story without its two most famous members: neither Morrissey nor Johnny Marr appears on camera. Instead the account comes from drummer Mike Joyce and bassist Andy Rourke, who lived the rise and the acrimonious breakup from inside the rhythm section, alongside producer Stephen Street, who was in the room for the records. Radio DJ John Peel, an early champion of the band on the BBC, and singer Sandie Shaw, who recorded with them, add outside perspective on how the Smiths were heard and received at the time. The film draws on previously unseen performance footage and behind-the-scenes material to fill in gigs and studio sessions that standard band documentaries rarely show. With the two chief songwriters absent, the film leans on the people who watched the songwriting partnership fracture up close, offering a version of the story built from its edges rather than its center.