A new film by Stephen Kijak follows a group of Denver teenagers who are struggling to come to terms with the fact that the iconic English band The Smiths broke up.
The plot of Shoplifters of the World is inspired by a real-life event that happened in 1988 in Denver. Well, a real-life event that was attempted, but never came to fruition.
Kijak's producer Loarianne Hall, who is a Denver native, introduced him to a local urban legend involving The Smiths, according to The Know.
When The Smiths broke up, a Denver teen plotted a take over of a Denver-area Top 40 radio station. He planned to hold the DJ at gunpoint and force him to play nothing but The Smiths albums he had in his car.
However, the boy was arrested in the parking lot before he made it to the radio station, according to a report from The Denver Post and various other reports over the years.
Some aspects of the story have been exaggerated and reworked for the movie.
"It is a bit of myth-making, but with a real foundation and real truth that hopefully makes it a little more universal," Kijak said in an interview with The Know.
Shoplifters of the World premiered in theaters and on-demand video platforms on March 26.
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