Don’t Go Gentle: A Film About Idles [Blu-ray]
(Idles, Joe Talbot, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, Adam Devonshire, et al / Blu-ray / NR / 2021 / MVD Visual)
Overview: DON’T GO GENTLE is a film about finding strength in vulnerability. It journeys through determination, friendship and adversity of IDLES’ as they fight for a place in a divided socio-political environment, unexpectedly inspiring and unifying an international community along the way.
In a time when the ground is shifting beneath our feet, where open communication and truthful reflection are more vital than ever, we journey with lead singer Joe Talbot and the band as they tear across stages, knock down stereotypes and empower fans to face down uncomfortable realities and talk about mental health.
Blu-ray Verdict: Don’t Go Gentle: A Film About Idles is a very impressive, entertaining, dramatic, human, global documentary on the story of IDLES; showcasing the path of a post-punk band formed in Bristol at the end (edge) of the ’00s of XXI century to recognition, full stadiums and legions of fans around the world.
It gloriously reveals, and lovingly (thankfully) without euphemisms, the darkest and brightest sides of life, glory, human relationships, the modern society, the constant fight with your own inner demons, for which there is no universal recipe.
Acceptance, empathy, self-criticism, self-improvement, connecting with other people - through music, through lyrics, through multimodal messages that are both sincere and overly influential - are all in the nature of IDLES and radiate in an incredibly vivid way from every scene and every statement in this movie.
For those unaware, Idles (stylized as IDLES) are a British rock band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Welsh singer Joe Talbot (vocals) and Northern Irish musician Mark Bowen (guitar) as well as English musicians Lee Kiernan (guitar), Adam Devonshire (bass) and Jon Beavis (drums).
Their debut album, Brutalism, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim, as was their second album Joy as an Act of Resistance in 2018 and their third album, Ultra Mono, was released on 25 September 2020.
Seen now on the small screen, Don’t Go Gentle: A Film About IDLES also influences the viewer (and concertgoer) through cinematography - camera, palette, cuts, pauses, track-list and at all levels this documentary corresponds fully to the sensitivity and philosophy of both IDLES themselves and anyone who not only listens the band, but identifies with its community and vision for the world at this point and the place of man in it.
This feature documentary was originally born out of Mark’s interest in the journey behind IDLES’ music. In March 2017 he wrote to IDLES manager Mark Bent expressing his desire to make a short film highlighting their inspired 8 year journey culminating in the band’s biggest show to date - supporting The Maccabees at Alexander Palace.
There was no idea at this stage the film would turn into what it became. In the same month, Sara Archer came on board to support the passion project by sourcing crew/equipment, budgeting, hosting interviews and beginning talks with potential distributors.
Mark then met music photographer Lindsay Melbourne with an eye to include her photographs in the film, but Lindsay was to become much more involved, becoming one of the producers on the film and paved the path to an even bigger project.
During production IDLES found new success, breaking down walls with their first album Brutalism. Lindsay told Mark of the growing IDLES fan community ‘AF GANG’.
As a result of Joe’s lyrics and his honesty on stage and in interviews, the AF GANG became a place where people would open up without judgement, quickly becoming an online support group to those that didn’t have one.
It was a domino effect with IDLES leading the way publicly discussing mental health. The potential of IDLES’ growth, along with their community of fans excited the team and they committed to turning this short film into a feature with IDLES and now the AF GANG at the center of the story.
Throughout the production the film took many forms with multiple re-edits necessary, being the team’s first feature no stone was left unturned. Finally, the film was completed during quarantine in May 2020 - a story in itself. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
Official Movie Trailer
Official Purchase Link
Idles - Bands In Town Schedule