“THE SWELL SEASON” My rating: B (Opening Jan. 13 at the Tivoli)
91 minutes | No MPAA rating
One of my most satisfying moments of live music ever came a couple of years ago when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova brought their band the Swell Season to Kansas City’s Uptown Theatre.
Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard
Only a few weeks before the duo had won an Oscar for their folky song “Falling Slowly” from the film “Once” (they also starred in the movie…if you haven’t seen it, shame on you). It was about as copacetic a concert as I’ve ever attended.
“The Swell Season,” a documentary by Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins and Carlo Mirabella-Davis, is an easygoing, impressionistic film about the band’s post-Oscar tour (I think there’s even some footage here from the Kansas City gig).
It’s meandering and shapeless but it offers numerous opportunities to hear the outgoing Hansard and the more subdued Irglova perfoming…and that’s always a good thing.
It also chronicles — in very haphazard fashion — the slow undoing of their romantic relationship.
The filmmakers chose to present the movie in widescreen black and white…and it looks absolutely fantastic. Good choice.
If you’re not already a fan of the Swell Season you probably won’t have enough background on Hansard and Irglova to figure out what exactly is going on or why you should care.
If you love their music, then it’s a bit like spending an evening with dear friends.
| Robert W. Butler
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