David Byrne's American Utopia

2020年 • 105 分钟

关于此电影

David Byrne's American Utopia brings the Talking Heads front man's critically acclaimed Broadway show to a one-of-a-kind film directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winner Spike Lee. Recorded during its late 2019 to early 2020 run at Broadway's Hudson Theatre in New York City, Byrne is joined by an ensemble of 11 musicians, singers, and dancers from around the globe, inviting audiences into a joyous dream world where human connection, self-evolution, and social justice are paramount. The special includes performances of songs from Byrne's 2018 solo album of the same name, in addition to popular Talking Heads favorites such as "Once in a Lifetime" and "Burning Down the House." The musical numbers accompanied with brief monologues allows Byrne to address various sociopolitical topics from police brutality, immigration, climate change to the 2020 presidential election.

评分和评价

Tasteless. Saw this production on Broadway, but even if one person reads this review I'll be happy. It is a mediocre musical, but what really ticked me off was the "say his name" song. I found this to be incredibly insulting, to be in a room where the majority of the audience are from a socioeconomic background that ensures they will never experience the prejudice of being a marginalized member of society, watching a bunch of Broadway actors singing the names of Black people slain by police cheerfully. This kind of neoliberal pandering is extremely harrowing and seems to serve purely as a vehicle to reinforce a neoliberal grip among the elite who come to watch this show. I am anything but a conservative, but Jesus Christ, this show makes me happy Trump won just so people who would enjoy this production would feel disappointed, finally feeling a correct emotion for supporting a movement that claims to be a savior of the marginalized when in fact it's a production that perpetuates the cycle they are "resisting". This show is actually a testament to how badly our culture has fallen.

David Byrne is a mega genius and this show proves it!

Amazing and uplifting