The Past Is a Grotesque Animal
Jun 15, 2014 | IMDB 5.5
77 min Watch NowDocumentary, Music
A personal, accessible look at an artist - Kevin Barnes, frontman of the endlessly versatile indie pop band of Montreal - whose pursuit to make transcendent music at all costs drives him to value art over human relationships. As he struggles with all of those around him, family and bandmates alike, he's forced to reconsider the future of the band, begging the question - is this really worth it?
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Harumi
Italiques: Roland Topor
Dear Jinri
Fakir
Soldier
Ghetto - The Secret Life of the City
Hans Haacke: 4 Decades
Vija Celmins: 4 Decades
Elizabeth Murray: 4 Decades
32 Pills: My Sister's Suicide
You Will Never See It All
Haida Modern
A.B.
Dae Soo: Life Is Just a Laugh
Tell Me Iggy
Le regard de Georges Brassens
Fubar
Véronique
A Hard Day's Night
Frances Carroll & 'The Coquettes'
SIMILAR MOVIES
Harumi
IMDB 0 | May , 2019
In the hills of Los Angeles the reclusive, stylish and enigmatic 96-year-old Harumi Taniguchi spent decades painting, writing poetry and dancing in her home designed by architect Richard Neutra.Italiques: Roland Topor
IMDB 0 | Aug , 1974
Roger Boussinot directed this episode of the French television show Italiques, which features an overview of the art and career of Fantastic Planet illustrator Roland Topor. It aired on August 8, 1974.Dear Jinri
IMDB 8.2 | Oct , 2023
"Dear Jinri" explores the daily concerns and thoughts of actress and singer Sulli, whose real name is Choi Jinri, where she talks about her childhood, career and more in this interview she gave in 2019.Fakir
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2019
The feature-length documentary Fakir portrays the success of fakirism in Brazil, Latin America and France. This circus art origin show is presented and analyzed through archives that reveals the success of these presentations with their pain resistance championships and the great public presence, including politicians and government officials. Fakir spans current footage from contemporary artists who keep this art alive in performances and shows.Soldier
IMDB 7 | Feb , 2017
A young man decides to join the army. He becomes the drummer in the military band, and his everyday life is now a combination of military training and music. What does the Argentine Army do these days, more than thirty years after the dictatorship? What does it mean to be a soldier in a country without wars?Ghetto - The Secret Life of the City
IMDB 5 | Jan , 1996
Belgrade in the 1990s seen through the eyes of Goran Čavajda 'Čavke', the late drummer of Serbian rock band "Electric Orgasm". Under dictatorship of Slobodan Milošević, his city became one of the worst places to live in Europe, while the country suffered highest inflation rate in its history, accompanied by mass poverty and political isolation. Documentary follows Čavke walking through the Belgrade streets where total chaos and decline of moral values rule. He finds his only shelter underground, where his friends - musicians and artists - live and work invisibly.Hans Haacke: 4 Decades
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2007
Hans Haacke is a key figure in contemporary art whose work intersects with conceptual, pop, minimal and land art. The artist is particularly known for his research into the hidden economies and politics of the art world and the repressed histories of places and peoples. Haacke's strong political, cultural and social concerns are reflected in his installations, texts and sculptures.Vija Celmins: 4 Decades
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2007
Best known for her drawings of the ocean and the galaxies of the night sky, Vija Celmins has solidified herself as one of the most important artists of the postwar generation. Stepping back from painting in order to explore her photorealistic drawing style, Celmins creates spectacularly precise renderings of the natural world. In her forty year retrospective at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Celmins recalls her beginnings in abstraction, her choices of subject matter after freeing herself of the New York School influence, and her later immersion in what must be termed her great master drawings.Elizabeth Murray: 4 Decades
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2006
"Elizabeth Murray: 4 Decades" tracks the artist's career and shows her moving forward fearlessly toward new shapes and concepts for her unique style of painting. Inspired by artists of the Abstract Expressionism movement such as Willem de Kooning and Philip Guston, Murray was privy to their technique and motive. Though she may share ideals with her artistic predecessors, Murray has created miraculously original work which she discusses with curator Robert Storr as they explore her MoMA retrospective.32 Pills: My Sister's Suicide
IMDB 8.7 | Nov , 2017
Traces the life and mental illness of New York artist and photographer Ruth Litoff, and her sister's struggle to come to terms with her tragic suicide.You Will Never See It All
IMDB 0 | Dec , 2023
Conceptual visual artist Ján Mančuška died in 2011. However, in his short 39 years of existence, he managed to create a number of remarkable works, many of which have been exhibited in renowned galleries around the world – including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and MoMA in New York. In his homeland, however, his work reflecting everyday life, social reality or the meaning of language has never achieved comparable fame. Together with the children of an artist who was not afraid to confront the public with the question of the meaning of art, the director embarks on a journey that aims not only to get closer to Mančuška, but also to reveal him in hitherto unrecognised shades, thus filling in the gaps that are increasingly appearing in the context of the fading memory of his personality.Haida Modern
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2019
In the 50 years since he carved his first totem pole, Robert Davidson has come to be regarded as one of the world’s foremost modern artists. Charles Wilkinson (Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World) brings his trademark inquisitiveness and craftsmanship to this revealing portrait of an unassuming living legend. Weaving together engaging interviews with the artist, his offspring, and a host of admirers, Haida Modern extols the sweeping impact of both Davidson’s artwork and the legions it’s inspired.A.B.
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2023
A documentary-style capturing of the life of Ab, a young struggling artist trying to find her way, all while dealing with unwanted company.Dae Soo: Life Is Just a Laugh
IMDB 0 | Aug , 2023
“I laugh out of life’s void” Korea’s very first hippie, Han Dae Soo, bursts out a laughter. Some musicians talk about love or hope, Han Dae Soo’s music roots in pain. His songs are about freedom even in the most oppressive circumstances. He prepares to release his last album in 2020. A master’s recording session is full of improvisation and energy. As a man of over 70 years old, his voice has gotten deeper and stronger with age. His is a husband and a father and a human dwelling upon the possibility of death approaching. As a youngster he exerted sharp criticism towards society, but on his last album it leans more towards reflection and regret rather than anger. Han Dae Soo tells us his last story strolling through the streets of Manhattan and Namdaemun. The aged hippie’s laughter still resonates with joy.Tell Me Iggy
IMDB 8 | May , 2022
This new intimate documentary looks at the extraordinary journey of the 75-year-old American rocker, who has come back from everything, and especially from the worst, but with his capacity for wonder intact.Le regard de Georges Brassens
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2013
An atypical portrait of singer, songwriter, poet Georges Brassens.Fubar
IMDB 6.3 | May , 2002
Terry and Dean are lifelong friends who have grown-up together: shotgunning their first beers, forming their first garage band, and growing the great Canadian mullet known as "hockey hair". Now the lives of these Alberta everymen are brought to the big screen by documentarian Ferral Mitchener in an exploration of the depths of friendship, the fragility of life, growing up gracefully and the art and science of drinking beer like a man.Véronique
IMDB 8 | Aug , 2025
Tom Volf invites you to delve into the fascinating world of Véronique Sanson, a living legend of French chanson. After several years of research and immersion, he is unveiling an intimate and sincere portrait of the artist in a film event. The fruit of his encounter with the singer, this project highlights the raw emotion and beauty of her career.A Hard Day's Night
IMDB 7.3 | Jul , 1964
Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.Frances Carroll & 'The Coquettes'
IMDB 6.7 | Feb , 1940
Bandleader Frances Carroll leads The Coquettes, an all-female band, in several swing tunes.