The Big Picture
- David Byrne’s concert film American Utopia is a life-affirming call for unity and a reflection on a nation in crisis, with Byrne using the platform to make political statements about voting rights and police violence.
- Spike Lee’s direction in the film creates a uniquely intimate experience, with cinematographer Ellen Kuras emphasizing the humanity and vulnerability of the performances through dynamic visuals.
- Byrne’s music, both solo and Talking Heads’ greatest hits, brings empathy, optimism, and innovative reinterpretations, while his outlook on the need for positive change injects hope into tumultuous times. “American Utopia” is a celebration that is both joyous and reflective.
David Byrne, front-man of the iconic American rock band Talking Heads, has never been the type of artist to stay in one lane. In addition to his work with Talking Heads, he has an impressive catalog of solo music and collaborations with artists like St. Vincent, Brian Eno, and most recently with indie sensation Mitski on their Academy Award-nominated song written for the Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once. Byrne navigates the world of the arts outside of rock and pop music as well, with published books and even a feature directorial credit on a strange and endearing independent film called True Stories.
Most notably, Byrne collaborated with Jonathan Demme to bring the Talking Heads stage tour to the big screen with the brilliant concert film Stop Making Sense in 1984. Unlike many modern concert films which interweave archival footage, interviews, and narration into the mix between live performances, Stop Making Sense is 88 minutes of pure musical bliss that never steers away from the performance itself. This remains one of the most iconic concert films of all time, which is hopefully introduced to many new audiences thanks to A24 acquiring the film for redistribution.
What people may not realize is that Byrne embarked on a similar project only a few years ago, teaming up with another visionary filmmaker Spike Lee to bring his recent stage show to HBO. The film, American Utopia, sees Byrne and a company of musicians and dancers performing solo work, collaborative work, and some of Talking Heads’ greatest hits in a visionary new form, while speaking between numbers about a variety of sociopolitical and philosophical concepts that inspired the music.
‘American Utopia’ is a Life-Affirming Call for Unity and a Reflection on a Nation in Crisis
Byrne takes the stage in a gray suit, with a model of a human brain in hand, to sing about the different regions that connect thoughts and feelings central to the human experience. He is eventually joined by eleven performers with wireless instruments enabling them to move freely around the stage. At one point in the show, Byrne introduces each member and celebrates the varied backgrounds of the people involved with the show, some of whom are immigrants. Byrne, an immigrant himself, moved to the United States from Scotland as a child, and envisions a true “American Utopia” as a place that celebrates variances in culture and background.
Byrne’s art is not often political in a provocative manner, which is a stark contrast to Spike Lee who, when Mookie threw the trash can through Sal’s pizzeria in his 1989 masterwork Do The Right Thing, invited a firestorm of criticism and outrage. Byrne’s messaging, framed through Lee’s vision as a filmmaker creates a fascinating and powerful series of sounds and images that bring out unbridled excitement in some moments and sobering reflection in others. Fundamentally, a utopia cannot be achieved without an acknowledgment of what is not working in a given society. Byrne uses the platform offered by this show to make statements about political subjects such as voting rights and police violence, including a heart-pounding and emotional rendition of a Janelle Monáe song that names and honors many people who were killed because of police brutality.
Lee’s direction, for one of the few instances where the film cuts away from the performance on stage, turns to families holding up photographs and information about their loved ones whose lives were claimed by police violence. It is a gut punch and a much-needed reminder that while we must celebrate and uplift one another, we must also express the capacity to collectively mourn and take action in addressing issues that bring harm.
David Byrne and Spike Lee Create a Uniquely Intimate Concert Film
The audience is sparsely seen in American Utopia, and the stage is bare save for the performers in their uniform gray suits. This may not seem like a visually stimulating watch at home, but Lee’s direction closes the distance created by seeing the show on a TV screen instead of as part of the live audience. The movements and lighting offer a dynamic quality without lavish set design or bold costuming.
Frequent collaborator Ellen Kuras worked as a cinematographer on Lee’s narrative features such as He Got Game and the documentary 4 Little Girls. Kuras crafts images that emphasize the humanity and vulnerability of the performances. Overhead shots spotlight the rhythmic movements of the performers, while close-ups reveal emotional depth in Byrne’s performance that even the live audience is not near enough to fully appreciate. Byrne is playing to the audience in the crowd, but Kuras puts the viewer at home in a unique vantage point which is enough to argue the case for the concert film to make a major comeback in American movie culture.
Byrne, for his part, brings exactly what fans and admirers have come to love his work for. Brimming with empathy & optimism and armed with a dynamic musical quality, Byrne blends some of his solo work with some of Talking Heads’ greatest hits. The strength of these classic rock tunes is in how Byrne continually finds ways to redefine them. Talking Heads fans are no strangers to hits such as “Once in a Lifetime” or “This Must Be The Place” being available in multiple official recordings, some live and some in studio. Byrne brings a new life to these songs, proving that even when he plays the hits he will find a way to do something innovative. The solo material is where the political and social messaging takes flight, as American Utopia shares the name of an album Byrne released in 2018 which inspired the show itself.
The music is unifying, and the filmmaking emphasizes a uniquely celebratory, thoughtful, and dynamic production that should develop an iconic status alongside Stop Making Sense. Byrne’s outlook on the need for a positive, actionable change in American culture injects a hopeful attitude into tumultuous times. Art is humanity bearing our souls, American Utopia bears a soul that is equal parts joyous and reflective.
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