Once the band announces their impending demise (with unnervingly good humor in press interviews), the movie becomes more of a straightforwardly beautiful concert doc, framing pristine locked-off shots of lissome ravers against the seas of throbbing teens and 20-somethings in attendance.
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA DOC FULL
It’s all cute and pretty self-aware on behalf of the band, who freely admit throughout the movie that Swedish House Mafia was kind of a party lark that unexpectedly made them one of the world’s biggest bands right when the American EDM wave was at full velocity.Īnd lo, those concert shots. Animated scenes describe their musical coming-of-age freaking out to Daft Punk. Ingrosso has many complaints related to uncomfortable hoodies. Them hanging out pre-tour, acting like bored college bros who suddenly came into a mountain of cash.Īngello revels in the myriad clothes hangers he has for his extensive black T-shirt collection. There are knowingly silly long shots of the trio driving a cheeseball speedboat around what looks like Miami Beach. The documentary Leave The World Behind and accompanying soundtrack, One Last Tour: A Live Soundtrack are both available now.The documentary, directed by Christian Larson, starts off lightly. Without schmaltz or cloying sympathies, contrived moments or cliché stories, Larson and the SHM machine know who this movie is for and what it's really about, and that in and of itself is a victory for music lovers of all genres the world over. Featured at every tour stop, celebrated for their enthusiasm, and championed as the leaders of the intangible thing that made Swedish House Mafia great, fans become the true stars of this movie. The One Last Tour moment capitalized on the global EDM zeitgeist and Leave The World Behind isn't shy about showing the soap motor of that movement: the fans.
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA DOC HOW TO
It's not even because three guys from Sweden fell in love with house music and then figure out how to make it. It's not because of their topline collaborator John Martin's soaring voice. Why did Swedish House Mafia sell out Madison Square Garden? Why did "Don't You Worry Child" become a Top 10 hit? Why was their closing set and final performance at Ultra so radically ecstatic? It's not because of their powerhouse manager, Amy Thomson. For his feature-film debut, Larson deploys the same glossy, high-contrast, supersaturated techniques he's known for in his pop videos and the result is a glorious tribute to the beat-filled wonders of night. In general, Leave The World Behind is light on facts, but that's hardly the point: hearing a sold-out stadium lose its mind for "Greyhound" is the point and it hits that one right on the head.ĭirector Christian Larson is a sought-after video director, having helmed clips for Gaga ("Telephone"), Britney ("Hold It Against Me") and Kylie ("Timebomb") as well as the Swedes' "Greyhound" Absolut commercial. A cute animated sequence explains the trio's origins, but their early friendship and working relationship with Eric Prydz is not mentioned. While we see a particularly tense moment when Angello dips out of a recording session for a tattoo appointment (spoiler alert: "Don't You Worry Child" still gets finished), we never really find out why the Mafia disbands.
Yet despite their success and their their cash, these are three dudes that put their hoodies on, one sleeve at a time, just like you and me. Is there something inherently interesting about watching Sebastian Ingrosso change shirts three times before he leaves the house? No, probably not. This is just the movie that shows how real and deep that feeling is - for the artists themselves, but also the audience. It's not about "EDM" or a particular SHM song or even the three guys making the music: the One Last Tour tour was a life-affirming musical moment that gripped its fans in their emotional solar plexus. Here's a quick breakdown of what makes Leave The World Behind required viewing.įrom the anticipation before the first curtain drops to the tears when the final drop explodes, what Leave The World Behind does best is naturally highlight the emotional experience of live music. This is not a film about dance music, but the story of three friends who happen to find massive success as DJs, making it a compelling watch even if you never liked Swedish House Mafia or even if you can't stand EDM at all.
0 kommentar(er)
