Junun (2015) Reviews

• A Truly Artistic Collaboration

  sportello292015-10-10

  In Spring 2015 Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and a wide array of truly unique Indian artists were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at the beautiful Mehrangarh Fort. PTA depicts this stunning collaboration that results in an album called Junun. Being an art-house documentary, PTA does a perfect job of simply guiding us through this complicated and inspirational process. There is no need for narration, the artists themselves are so interesting and creative that the viewer simply needs to observe. PTA achieves exactly this. There is almost no dialogue as the movie intricately explores every member of the group and emphasizes how integral each little sound and voice is. We see silent Jonny Greenwood playing his signature moody guitar in the corner, while Shye Ben Tzur tediously orchestrates the process. PTA shows us how various artists go great lengths to tune their instruments and just how difficult they work to get all the sounds and vocals exactly right. At the same time, all the group members are so deeply, culturally and religiously, ingrained in the process that it bring them true artistic and life joy. It is extremely inspiring and beautiful to see and hear all the sounds come together. Junun is a truly unique musical album made by artists with highest levels of skill. Witnessing this process first hand through the creative and silent lens of Paul Thomas Anderson was a wonderful journey.

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• Great music, not what I expected from a doc

  dylancampbell2015-10-27

  This bit of trivia explains a lot about Junun: "Much of Paul Thomas Anderson's filming equipment was caught up in customs at the airport, and he was forced to use the small camcorder in his bag and his producer's drone for filming all of his shots." This documentary is extremely minimal in it's narrative. You are mostly immersed in the music-making process and do not get much back story on how these particular artists came together. The music, however, is truly exceptional. The way the songs build and each musician plays their part is often mesmerizing. Bottom line: definitely worth watching, though I wish the real cameras had made it through customs.

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• Junun

  DavidStewart572015-10-20

  Junun, the new documentary by Paul Thomas Anderson, is a visual and aural treat for music lovers and film lovers alike. In February of this past year, Anderson went to Rajasthan to film the recording sessions for Jonny Greenwood's new album with Israeli composer, Shye Ben Tzur, and several Indian musicians. Anderson, only armed with a digital camera he managed to get through airport customs, captures the creative and radiant energy of the musicians as they record despite constant electricity problems. During their brief reprieves from recording, the musicians meditate and go into town to tune their instruments while Anderson follows them with his camera. Although the film is fifty-three minutes long, Anderson brilliantly captures every second of the beauty of Rajasthan and the music with unbridled curiosity. Greenwood, the wunderkind guitarist for Radiohead and composer for Anderson's films, pensively plays with his guitar while Ben Tzur sways and sings getting lost in the music as the audience gets lost in the film. This is Anderson's first documentary and film shot entirely in digital format and he plays with the digital camera and tests the limits of how far he can capture the ethereal aura of Rajasthan whether it be filming a circle of musicians in a 360 degree shot or strapping the camera to a drone and flying it around. Along with the dizzying and stunning cinematography, the film celebrates the union of different musical genres with the same vibrant energy as Wim Wenders did with The Buena Vista Social Club. All and all, Junun is a joyous spectacle of sound and vision.

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• Good, solid, playful doc, great music

  runamokprods2016-12-27

  Vibrant, engrossing 55 minute verite music documentary on the making of the terrific titular album, which involves music by Israeli Composer Shye Ben Tzur combining with an amazing group of 15 Indian musicians dubbed "The Rajasthan Express", along with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood (who did the scores for Anderson's last 3 features), and Radiohead's producer Nigel Goodrich. No talking heads, very little set up or explanation – just a few title cards – and only a few scraps of dialogue. The majority of the film is simply watching amazing musicians jamming together and creating great sounds that combine a multitude of music traditions and ethnic roots. Anderson's raw observational style here (leavened with a few soaring drone shots) dances perfectly with the raw sense of the music finding itself. And the music is the star here. If it wasn't so strong, the film's lack of any sense of narrative could have been dull. But the music was good enough for me to order the 2 disc CD seconds after the film's end credits ended. Perhaps not Anderson's most important or powerful work, but a lovely, playful but earnest endorsement of the artistic process. I wish the film was available on disc or for download. Currently the film is view-able 'Streaming only'. That means – long term - one is reliant on the deal to show the film being renewed by the site or service one bought it from.

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