American Symphony – Snapshot
American Symphony is a surprisingly good documentary, giving us an intimate picture of a year of incredible successes, daunting challenges, and frightening events in the life of musician Jon Batiste. Unlike most documentaries, this one does nothing but carefully observe Batiste’s dual passions – for music and for his wife Suleika. (4*)
Where to Watch:
Stream: Netflix
Rent: (Nowhere)
Free SoloAmerican Symphony – The Oscar Buzz
Oscar Nominations (1) / Oscar Wins (0) :
Original Song (“It Never Went Away”, Jon Batiste/Dan Wilson)
The song, “It Never Went Away”, does not appear in American Symphony until the ending credits, and, normally, that is something I don’t like. My usual objection is that a song, if it is to be nominated, should play some kind of role in the movie itself and so playing only during the end credits is sort of like tacking it on, meaning it never really belonged in the movie. However, this time is the exception that justifies the rule. The song is written by the subject of the movie and so, in some very real sense, having it at the end credits works as a coda to the film, summarizing the subject matter and leaving us with the emotional meaning of Batiste’s experiences in the movie. This time, I will let it pass!
I could only find three other Oscar connections. Director/Cinematographer/Editor Mathew Heineman received an earlier nomination for his documentary Cartel Land (which I have not seen). Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Oscar for their terrific score for the animated film Soul. And one of the cinematographers, Claire Popkin, worked on the Oscar winning documentary, Free Solo.
American Symphony – Related Movies
Direct Ancestors:
Soul (20) (Music)
Other Mathew Heineman Films:
Cartel Land (15) (Direction/Cinematography/Editing)
Other Influences:
Free Solo (18) (Cinematography)
(The director, as well as a lot of the crew, are relatively young, seem to have limited histories in filmmaking, and most of their work has been in documentaries, shorts, commercials, and some TV episodes. So my list of related movies is abysmally short! Should be noted that the Obama production company, Higher Ground, picked up this movie, although I don’t know exactly when. So the Obama’s saw something here they wanted to promote.)
American Symphony – What Others Think
Viewership of American Symphony is very limited. In one rating system I use, there were only about 4000 ratings. And, of course, for popular appeal, it has several things going against it – it’s a documentary; it’s about a musician but has the word “symphony” in the title; and it is only available on Netflix! Given those factors, it is easy to see how it comes in near the bottom of our ratings, 33rd out of all 38 of this year’s movies, tied with The Zone of Interest. One viewer called it “emotionally manipulative.” But most of the people who bothered to leave comments were more supportive: “Wondrous journey into two souls” and “Felt all the feelings”.
The number of critic reviews is also rather disappointing, but they have a more positive view of the film, placing it pretty much in the middle of the 2024 nominee pack. I think the difference between critics and general audiences might be that critics feel a little more similar to artists (and musicians) and so Batiste’s philosophy about his music and the creative process resonates more with them. Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert) noted that American Symphony is about “how art is the only way we can truly process that human emotion that can’t be expressed in words.” He also ties in Batiste’s relationship to his partner, “there are quiet moments between him and Jaouad that give the film its true emotional foundation.” Ben Kenigsberg (New York Times) gave the film a Critics Pick and wrote “this is also a movie about two artists, their love, their creative attitudes and how, as a couple, they approach a “life of contrasts””
Overall, American Symphony comes in 27th out of all 38 nominees, tied with May December.
American Symphony – Special Mention
Jon Batiste – is the subject of American Symphony and is a remarkable man. Born in 1986 in the New Orleans, Louisiana area, he grew up in a musically inclined family. Starting with drums at age 8, he took to the piano three years later at his mother’s urging, and studied the instrument and music through high school, releasing his first album at age 17. His talent was recognized at Juilliard school of music and he earned his Bachelor of Music from there in 2008, followed by a Masters in 2011. While at Juilliard he formed his own band, Stay Human, and they were frequently seen playing in New York City subways and on street corners.
His life in New York led to performances around the world and in 2015, age 29, he became the bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. That gig lasted seven years. During that time period he found time to perform with musicians like Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Lenny Kravitz. With Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, he won a well-deserved Oscar for their music for the animated feature film Soul. And finally he received the most nominations at the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022, winning five of them including the coveted Album of the Year.
Much of his history is documented or referred to in American Symphony. But the title of the movie, in part, refers to a symphony orchestra piece Batiste composed during the course of the film and which was performed at Carnegie Hall on September 22, 2022. (There is another composition by that name completed by Adam Schoenberg and performed by the Kansas City Symphony in 2011). Despite some effort, I cannot find any place to stream Batiste’s symphony in the music sources I subscribe to. Grammy.com does have a detailed review of the Carnegie Hall performance, and the full recording of his Carnegie Hall concert is apparently available on Spotify.
American Symphony – Michael’s Moments
American Symphony is the kind of movie that sort of sneaks up on you. It is a documentary and you don’t expect documentaries to tell a romantic story, but this one does. And it accomplishes that at the same time it follows a remarkable young man as he deals with enormous pulls in multiple directions. There is the exhilarating feelings that come from being recognized in his own profession as something like a renaissance man with 11 Grammy nominations – and five wins – in multiple genres. There is his intensity as he develops a symphony incorporating jazz rhythms and Native American vocalizations, that will debut at Carnegie Hall. And, as if that isn’t enough, his wife suffers a resurgence of cancer and he shows the support and love that he somehow manages to have in reserve. His story is a profound example of human resilience on a wrenching roller-coaster ride of life.
That it works so easily to paint such a full and complex emotional picture is, in part because of the way it was executed. It might be a documentary, but there are no “talking heads” explaining what you should be thinking or feeling. And there are few flashbacks incorporating archival footage. Instead the movie builds its message simply by observing – the camera records his highs and his lows with intimate precision. We see him talking to his therapist with his head under a pillow. We see Jon and his wife, Suleika wake up on a morning and look into each other’s eyes. And we follow them down a hill on a sled, a first time experience for this man from New Orleans. The camera, using four different cinematographers, including the director, follow Jon for about a year producing what must have been a mountain of film. And then, the director and three other people edited all that footage to produce the final movie.
American Symphony tells a moving story of an ambitious and talented man faced with huge successes and potentially huge losses all at the same time. It is direct and to the point and will be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in music and the power of true love. It is short, simple, and emotionally effective. (4*)
