🎞️🇺🇸 ‘Anthem’ Review: We Dey Soar 🚀
⬇️ Pidgin ⬇️ ⬇️ Black American Slang ⬇️ English
“Anthem” dey start with old old stori of America history: from John F. Kennedy 1961 talk wey him yarn about how we need dey enter space travel reach Barack Obama talk say we need people wey go challenge wayo; from dem wey dey follow Ku Klux Klan dey wave di America flag reach di wahala wey happen for Capitol on Jan. 6; from di Black Power protest for 1968 Olympics reach Colin Kaepernick wey bend him knee for football field. Di video dem show say nationalism fit take different kind styles wey no too relate with national symbols.
But di film wey follow no too understand dis point. Peter Nicks documentary follow two black artists, Kris Bowers wey dey do film and television music and Dahi wey be music producer as dem start journey for road with di plan to create new anthem wey — unlike “Di Star-Spangled Banner,” wey dem take from British song — go get dat local flavor and represent today America. Dem believe say na song fit make people of all kind, even those wey di country dey pursue, feel like dem be part of the team remind me of celebrity “Imagine” music video from March 2020. E be like sey na mouth dem just dey use talk, dem no too follow di matter go deep. 🚗🎼
Di journey wey Bowers and Dahi start dey very interesting: dem explore blues for Mississippi, country music for Tennessee and Native drum circles for Oklahoma, as dem dey join join wetin be America music. But di talk talk wey dem dey do too dey too normal, as dem dey use big big grammar like “truth,” while di film dey move from one screen to another, dey show close-up of faces and slow motion of di two for road. Any wahala moment, as when one singer from military family come dey argue with one immigrant singer on top matter of national pride, dem no too follow am go deep. As di old video for film show di limit of respect politics, “Anthem” end up too much respect — and dem no fit talk everything finish.🎞️🎷🎸🥁🚗🛣️🗣️🎙️🇺🇸
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
🎞️🇺🇸 ‘Anthem’ Review: We Flyin’ High, No Lie 🚀
“Anthem” come out the gate with a throwback reel of some real U.S. history: JFK in ’61 talkin’ big about the space game, to Obama preachin’ on the need for some real talk; from the Klan stuntin’ with the Stars and Stripes, to the madness that went down at the Capitol on Jan. 6; from the Black Power movement making noise at the ’68 Olympics, to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee on the gridiron. The montage is a straight-up snapshot of how patriotism can flip the script and it ain’t always about the stars and stripes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnYaOdnmINA
But the movie that rolls out after that seems to miss the memo. Peter Nicks’ doc tracks two Black artists, Kris Bowers, the dude behind film and TV scores, and Dahi, the producer laying down tracks, as they hit the road to drop a new anthem that — unlike “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which jacked a British melody — keeps it 100 and represents today’s America. Their belief that a song can unite everybody, even the ones the country has left in the dust, got me thinking about that celebrity “Imagine” music video from March 2020. It’s like they’re just paying lip service without getting to the real issues. 🚗🎼
The trip Bowers and Dahi take is straight fire: they explore the blues in Mississippi, country music in Tennessee, and Native drum circles in Oklahoma, painting a picture of the American music scene. But the chit-chat between them is pretty basic, dropping cliches like “truth,” while the camera bounces between screens, zooms in on faces, and slows down the road trip. Any rough spots, like when a military family’s singer and an immigrant vocalist get into it over what it means to rep the country, are skipped over too fast. Even though the old footage shows the limitations of keeping it classy, “Anthem” ends up being a little too polite — and doesn’t quite tell the whole story. 🎞️🎷🎸🥁🚗🛣️🗣️🎙️🇺🇸
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎞️🇺🇸 Anthem’ Review: Soaring High 🚀
Anthem” begins with a collection of historical American clips: from John F. Kennedy’s 1961 speech promoting space exploration to Barack Obama discussing the importance of disagreement; from the Ku Klux Klan brandishing the American flag to the January 6th Capitol riot; from the Black Power protest at the 1968 Olympics to Colin Kaepernick kneeling on a football field. This montage powerfully showcases how nationalism can manifest in vastly different ways that are often disconnected from national symbols.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnYaOdnmINA
However, the following film seems to overlook this point. Peter Nicks’s documentary follows two Black artists, Kris Bowers, who composes music for film and television, and Dahi, a record producer, as they embark on a road trip with the aim of creating a new anthem that—unlike “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which borrows from a British melody—is truly American and representative of modern America. Their naive belief that a song can bring together people from all walks of life, including those who have been oppressed by the country, reminds me of the celebrity “Imagine” music video from March 2020. It seems like they are just giving lip service without addressing the real issues. 🚗🎼
The journey Bowers and Dahi take is truly captivating: they explore blues in Mississippi, country music in Tennessee, and Native drum circles in Oklahoma, creating a diverse portrait of American music. But their discussions are frustratingly bland, filled with trite phrases like “truth,” while the visuals tediously shift between screens, close-ups of faces, and slow-motion shots of the duo on the road. Any potentially contentious moments, such as when a singer from a military family has a disagreement with an immigrant vocalist over matters of national pride, are too quickly dismissed. While the film’s historical footage underscores the limitations of respectability politics, “Anthem” ends up being excessively polite— and inevitably simplistic. 🎞️🎷🎸🥁🚗🛣️🗣️🎙️🇺🇸
