Sound It Out review (The List, Issue 690)

The tagline for this affectionate record store documentary is ‘High Fidelity with a Northern accent’, and it is a rare case of the marketing being bang on the money. A labour of love for director Jeanie Finlay, who also produced the film and did most of the camerawork, Sound It Out is as low-budget as professional filmmaking gets, but Finlay’s passion for the subject is evident in every frame; the film resonates with the soul of a music lover.

The subject in question is Sound It Out Records, Teeside’s last surviving record shop, and something of a haven for Northern England’s record-lovers, music completists and social misfits. Through interviews with employees and customers, as well as plenty of in-store footage, Finlay builds up a picture of the community this store, and more specifically it’s devoted owner Tom, has cultivated and in many ways cared for for over 20 years in Stockton. It’s touching, at times very funny and also surprisingly moving. As well as crafting an insightful portrait of a specific place, Finlay effectively captures the moment of transition that record collectors worldwide are in, as the physical, tangible aspect of owning music gradually disappears. Highly recommended.

Showing at Glasgow Grosvenor on Weds 16th November, 6.30pm and Edinburgh Cameo on Thurs 17th November, 9pm, with a post-screening Q&A from director/producer Jeanie Finlay at both screenings. More info at www.sounditoutdoc.com. This review first published in The List.

Project Nim review (The List, Issue 686)

It’s not surprising that director James Marsh has chosen to follow his Oscar-winning 2008 documentary Man On Wire by taking an approach often favoured by bands following up a hit album: don’t mess with the formula, just try and do the same thing again, but better. What is surprising, considering how good his previous film was, is how close Marsh comes to bettering it with Project Nim.

The titular project was an ill-conceived experiment in which Columbia University Behavioural Psychologist Herb Terrace took a baby chimp – Nim – and convinced Stephanie LaFarge, one of his ex-girlfriends, now married with children, to take the chimp into her home, and treat Nim as one of the family. ‘Only in the 70s,’ is how one interview subject aptly describes it. The theoretical aim was to teach Nim to communicate through sign language, but in practice the experiment was doomed from the start, and, of course, it was Nim who paid the highest cost.

Marsh’s film plays out through detailed interviews with everyone involved, alongside some amazing archive footage and dramatically charged reconstructions. It’s a very similar filmmaking approach to Man On Wire, but Marsh makes up for playing it safe stylistically by plumbing the subject’s thematic depths to pull out a deeply affecting story. Marsh’s storytelling instincts are good; he carefully withholds information to ensure viewers keep asking their own questions about the motivations of the projects’ architects. This is an animal story that’s populated by a fascinating cast of humans, and Marsh successfully draws out their considered and sometimes fundamentally contradictory opinions about what they did and were trying to achieve. What emerges is both a heartbreaking tale of the mistreatment of one ‘dumb animal’ and a complex meditation on the very best and worst aspects of human nature.

Project Nim is in cinemas on selected release now. This review originally published in The List magazine.
You can also listen to me reviewing Project Nim on BBC Movie Cafe here.

Profile: Jamie Johnson

This is my profile piece on Sounds Like Teen Spirit director Jamie Johnson, from the current issue of The List.

Name Jamie J Johnson

Born 14 September 1976, Hammersmith, London

Background The son of a painter, Johnson initially followed in his father’s footsteps before deciding that moving pictures were more to his liking, and started creating flick books. He caught Channel 4’s attention with a series of zero-budget video ‘fanzines’, on subjects ranging from bad TV to mini golf, and while the films had a definite homemade feel they also established Johnson as a director of undeniable vision. His first film proper was the 2003 BAFTA-nominated short Holiday Around My Bedroom, a fantastical documentary that achieved a balance of warm sentiment and imaginative visuals akin to the work of Michel Gondry.

What’s he up to now? Having discovered Junior Eurovision and its huge cult following in continental Europe, Johnson obtained behind-the-scenes access; the result is his debut feature, Sounds Like Teen Spirit.

On the value of Junior Eurovision ‘It is a very nurturing environment – the kids do genuinely have the best week of their lives, and they go off on all these museum visits and cultural things. Also, there were loads of Eurovision-obsessed journalists there, and one in particular said “I love seeing all Europe come together on one stage after all these years of war”, and that resonated with me. I thought, “It is kitsch and silly, but it’s also got this nice element.”’

On being an objective documentarian ‘I don’t think I did a very good job. When one of the contestants, Marina, was telling me about her absent dad I started crying, and she was like, “Come on Jamie it’s fine, don’t be an idiot.” Which was kind of funny, being comforted by a 14-year-old who was actually living through it.’

Interesting fact Jarvis Cocker was approached to provide narration for the film, but he suggested that it would be more appropriate to have the director’s own voice on such a unique film. The producers agreed, and Johnson’s voiceover made it to the final film.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit is on selected released from Fri 8 May. Read my review on The List website.

Man On Wire

The great movies keep coming. Man On Wire is an excellent new documentary, getting it's general UK release this month after picking up heaps of praise and awards at festivals around the world. You can read my full review on Future Movies at the link below:

Man On Wire review

Info
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Philippe Petit
Cert: 12A
UK release: 1 August