Last week I went to the Moviemento to watch Shut Up and Play the Hits with the KreuzbergKalender-Crowd. Before the official release in Germany I was in the cosy little cinema with around 40 friends and watched the last show of the LCD Soundsystem…
The documentary about the final show of the band at Madison Square Garden is much more a concert than classical cinema. The filmmakers Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern accompanied LCD front man James Murphy for a few days prior to and after the concert. Between the single songs performed at the show the viewer gets a clear idea of Murphy’s thoughts, feelings and uncertainties about the end of his band. These scenes, i.e. when Murphy takes his dog out for a walk wearing pyjamas or speaks to a journalist, are so intimate that they almost seem staged and planned. Also the shots of crying, screaming and frenetically jumping fans seem surreal at times.
However all material is authentic in the way possible for a documentary film. It makes the film impressive and the concert scenes capture the audience in the cinema just as much as if one were in the live audience. One feels the ambivalence, which goes along with most self inflicted goodbyes. The anticipation of the new, the doubt if one has made the right decision and the sadness of things coming to an end. The film conveys this sense of ambivalence again and again. First a song that makes you want to dance and then a sentimental James Murphy, who breaks out in tears standing next to the suddenly condemned equipment of the band. The scenes are matched or rather magnificently contrasted, a big compliment to the editors!
Some thought there were too many music scenes, too little info, not enough room for the other band members. I can agree with all of that, but in the end it didn’t minimize the joy I got out of watching this film, which I certainly found worth seeing.
