Where I Watched it: Netflix
English Audio Description provided By: International Digital center
Written By Liz Gutman
Narrated By: Sri Gordon
Documentary
Directed By: Matthew Heineman
The What really gets me about American Symphony is at what point did someone decide to make the film? Director Matthew Heineman perhaps thought that he had a simple story when he started following musician John Batiste. Perhaps what drew him to the project was the idea of a more contemporary artist taking a shot at doing something with a more classical lean. Little did he know that along this journey, he would also capture some incredibly difficult and intimate moments. I have to believe Matthew Heineman just happened to already be a part of Batiste’s life, and not an opportunist who instead decided to follow the story once Batiste’s wife, SuleikaJaouad, was diagnosed with cancer.
What I believe in my heart of hearts started out as the exploration of an artist pushing outside their comfort zone, lead to a complex story about the best worst year of someone’s life. While john is celebrating some of his career’s highest of highs, including sweeping the Grammy awards, as well as his Oscar for writing the score to Soul, he is thinking about his wife going through cancer treatments. he’s having to be in all these different places, when the one place he seems to really want to be, is with her.
Heineman paints batiste as a grounded artist, like the kind that doesn’t quite understand just how popular they truly are. However, some of the moments took me out of his project. there’s a scene shortly after Batiste wins the multiple Grammy awards that he is having his shoes shined by an older black gentleman who has no idea who he is. It’s hard to tell what this scene is representing since shoe shine stations are almost entirely a thing of the past. Is he at the station to give this man some work, since so many people wear shoes that are not the kind you get shined, or what? He just ponders life while someone serves him, and it’s the oddest scene in the film.
The rest of the time, it seems like Batiste is either helping his wife, or enjoying the success and the benefits of being an Award winning artist. It likely was meant to celebrate batiste, but American symphony celebrates how people make it through things. They survive.
This is not a talking head documentary, though Batiste offers his thoughts quite frequently. That allows for a lot of audio description. I could tell shoes were important, as Batiste seems to notice his conductor is wearing some fly sneakers instead of what you might assume a conductor would wear.
Liz Gutman always milks the most out of her narration, and with Sri Gordon as the voice for the narration, this intrigues me.
American Symphony is not my tip top favorite of the year, but it is a strong entry in a world where we’ve had so many strong documentaries this year.
Final
Final Grade: A-
