February 1, 2015 -- Kevin Barnes is the frontman, singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band of Montreal (this is an American band, by the way, not Canadian). This documentary film is pretty much all about him, but other people are in it too, including his wife and child, and other band members.

This is not quite the usual rock documentary because so much of the film is devoted to Kevin, that the rest of the band tends to fade into the background. If you want to know about the other band members, and find out what they are doing now, you'll have to read the Wikipedia article about this band.

Kevin Barnes is called a genius in this movie, big surprise, and he does come across as having a lot of musical and theatrical creativity. If this creativity is fueled by inner demons, these are not revealed in the film. He does talk about suicidal feelings, depression and anxiety. He also talks about using some unnamed chemicals to deal with mental issues, but as far as his childhood and upbringing, nothing traumatic is indicated. In the film, he seems obsessed with making music. Everything and everyone else is secondary to that.

The only other person in the film who gets much screen time is Kevin's wife, Nina Aimee Grøttland Barnes. Band members interviewed in the film said they were surprised when Kevin became romantically involved with Nina. They all thought he was gay, and he does wear women's clothing on stage during concerts. Nina talks about being separated from Kevin during long studio sessions, and having her daughter, Alabee, alone in her native Norway in 2004. Word is, Kevin and Nina separated at the end of 2013.

The evolution of Kevin's music takes up a lot of the film. Early on, he was influenced by The Beatles and The Kinks, but as the years went by, Kevin moved on to other musical styles, with funk, Afrobeat and electronic influences. As he moved off the original sound, band members quit or were fired and new band members were added by Kevin. Sometimes there were wholesale changes all at once. Band members said they got the feeling they were just “sidemen” (a term for a musician for hire on a temporary basis).

One album featured in the film shows Kevin playing all the instruments and doing all the vocals alone in the studio. He then presents the completed album to the rest of the members of of Montreal and tells them that's what they are going to be playing on the next tour. One member of the group talked about how strange it felt to not be a part of the process of making that album.

From what I can gather, this does seem to be unusual in that most bands usually have more than one person involved in composing and recording music. Barnes, at least at times, is a one man band. At other times in the film, he seems to be more collaborative. Some of the band's stage productions involve elaborate costumes and props (including a hangman's noose, used in a scene where Kevin is hanged). It is all quite elaborate and surrealistic, which is part of the band's appeal to its many fans. Kevin does appear naked in one stage performance in the film.

One of the new band members featured in the film is Rebecca Cash, evidently no relation to Johnny Cash. Word is, she has already left of Montreal. There are a dizzying array of band members who have joined and left the group. One of the longest serving members was keyboardist Dottie Alexander, who is evidently now one of at least 15 former band members, including Nina.

This is another one of those music documentaries that is probably going to appeal mainly to fans of Kevin Barnes and the band of Montreal. There is enough music and enough video of the band's theatrical productions to satisfy fans, and there is certainly plenty about Kevin Barnes and his musical evolution.

While Kevin Barnes, and the band, are different in some ways from other musicians and bands, they are also similar in a lot of ways. This film comes across to me as a slightly above average musical documentary, not very different, or much better or worse, than many others in this genre. If I was a fan of the band, I'd probably feel different, but I am not. This film rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2015 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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