Dark City Beneath the Beat (2020)
April 17, 2021 4:15 PM - Subscribe
Musical documentary reimagines the narrative of Baltimore, a city rising above social and economic turmoil to develop a vibrant and close-knit community for the arts through its homegrown sound, Baltimore club music.
Baltimore Sun: A documentary on Baltimore club music is coming to Netflix this week. We talked to director TT the Artist ahead of its debut.
Baltimore Magazine: TT the Artist's love letter to club music finally gets the wider release it deserves.
Decider: A Proud Portrait of Baltimore Club Music’s Makers, Dancers and Lovers
Variety: Inventive and infectious, TT The Artist's head-turning debut fuses the forms of documentary and music video to honor Baltimore's vibrant social fabric.
TimeOut: Baltimore’s brilliant club sound reverberates loud and proud in this music video/doco fusion
Baltimore Sun: A documentary on Baltimore club music is coming to Netflix this week. We talked to director TT the Artist ahead of its debut.
Baltimore Magazine: TT the Artist's love letter to club music finally gets the wider release it deserves.
Decider: A Proud Portrait of Baltimore Club Music’s Makers, Dancers and Lovers
Variety: Inventive and infectious, TT The Artist's head-turning debut fuses the forms of documentary and music video to honor Baltimore's vibrant social fabric.
TimeOut: Baltimore’s brilliant club sound reverberates loud and proud in this music video/doco fusion
I loved this. With the minor caveat that it is definitely more a music video, and way more a celebration of the culture than a standard documentary. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, the music segments are wonderfully choreographed (big compliment to the cop segment, which is just wonderful.). Some really wonderful moments, and I learned enough that I didn't know to make it worthwhile. My only minor quibble is that TT the Artist keeps trying to wedge herself into the narrative, though, which are scenes that really don't work and it becomes a little frustrating.
posted by General Malaise at 4:19 PM on April 17, 2021
posted by General Malaise at 4:19 PM on April 17, 2021
I watched this last night and was blown away by the way it was shot, and by the way it wove the narrative around the larger dance numbers.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 8:58 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by lesbiassparrow at 8:58 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Now I've thought more about it I feel this is a movie that suffers from coming out in the pandemic. I would love to see this presented alongside an exhibition of the styles worn, for example, or as part of something that showcased the performers. It felt like seeing an exhibition and finding out there was no accompanying book.
Obviously nothing that could be done about that, but I hope in the future for more connected to the movie that would flesh out the world more in detail.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 8:00 PM on April 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Obviously nothing that could be done about that, but I hope in the future for more connected to the movie that would flesh out the world more in detail.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 8:00 PM on April 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by General Malaise at 4:16 PM on April 17, 2021