American Symphony
American Symphony is streaming on Netflix at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 13.
STORY: A-
As he begins work on an epic symphony, Jon Batiste receives 11 Grammy nominations on the same day his wife starts treatment for her leukemia.
Batiste and his wife, Suleika, have more ups and downs in one year than the Empire State Building elevators have had since opening up in 1931. We will all climb to great heights and fall into low valleys during our lives. The film is full of lessons about how to get through all of them.
PEOPLE: B+
There are two fascinating people in this film, but it’s really only about one of them.
Jon and Suleika clearly value each other as equals in their relationship. The movie does not. This is clearly Batiste’s story.
The choice to focus on a single person is fine. The film certainly doesn’t ignore Suleika. Yet they are such a close knit team that Batiste’s own story feels incomplete. It feels like we can’t deeply know either one of them without knowing the other just as deeply.
FILM NERD STUFF: A-
At a difficult moment during Batiste’s performance, a powerful flashback magnifies the emotion.
Just as it seems everything is about to fall apart, an emotional montage of Batiste’s formative moments flutters by. It’s the goose-bumpiest moment of the movie.
The sentiment is wordless but crystal clear. When times get rough, when it seems all is lost, look back and draw upon the moments that have made you who you are. The lessons from those moments are enough (even if you don’t believe it). They’ll get you through.
THE ARTIST’S LIFE (Elective Class): A+
The movie is a perfect portrait of the artist’s life.
If my wife were fighting for her life, I don’t think I could sing a song for thousands of people. If my wife were fighting for her life, I don’t think I could slip away from her bedside to write a piece of music. If I were receiving bone marrow transfusions, I don’t think I could paint all day long. Making art while in the thick of the most sickening, frightening, horrible times of your lives.
It’s unfathomable to me.
It’s undeniable to Jon and Suleika.
I won’t decide to write a symphony when I arrive at the bleakest moments of my life. But perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the act of creating something during them. The film’s greatest feat (among its many) is how it shows us the way art can be used as a tool to navigate our way through the most painful, confusing chapters of our lives.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Sometimes you need to be a fan of a celebrity in order to enjoy a documentary about them. This is not one of those movies.
You don’t need to be a Jon Batiste fan to be inspired by this film. You don’t even need to be a music fan to find joy in this film. If you’re human, you’ll pick up on the fact that art just may be the one thing that helps us stay human.