2008 Athens International Film Festival
'Strumming' along with 'The Future is Unwritten'
By Kristin Nehls, Staff Writer
April 28, 2008 | noon
Telling the story of The Clash’s front man Joe Strummer, “Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten” is not a mere recollection of the punk rock glory days that earned Strummer and his band mates their fame.
While The Clash’s ten years of touring does take up a hefty chunk of this documentary, those looking for a biopic about the band’s punk rock lifestyle and the intricacies of The Clash are sure to be disappointed. Director Julien Temple did not leave out the bookended aspects of Joe Strummer’s life, both pre- and post- Clash obsession of the 1970s and '80s, finally ending with Strummer’s unexpected death just more than five years ago.
Compiling interviews with celebrities ranging from Bono about his first Clash concert to John Cusack regarding his memories of the lead singer, “The Future is Unwritten” is compelling in its unique approach to a documentary-style film.
Beginning with Strummer’s early days, including years spent at both boarding school and art school and the suicide of his older brother, Temple spliced video footage, artwork and images that were authentically from Strummer’s past with original footage that represents the times.
Most clever of Temple’s incorporation of original footage includes different scenes from the 1954 film “Animal Farm.” The anti-fascist idealism that Strummer helped to solidify is in stark contrast with the theme of the satirical animation, a point that is exemplified in Temple’s genius editing.
However, the true punk rockers may become restless and even slightly frustrated with this film’s ending. While authentic to Strummer’s life, covering the details of his settling down to create a family and his dabbling into soundtrack production, Temple is also brutally honest about Strummer’s transformation from punk rock icon to washed out, borderline hippie-– a label that any true punk rocker of the 1980s loyally despised.
It is when covering Strummer's final years that the film becomes much less interesting-– the previously seen creativity that intermingled artsy cinematography, immersive nostalgia and colorful storytelling simplifies into pure narrative. Temple’s splicing of animation and photography ultimately wears away. Unfortunately, this decrease in creativity is coupled with a less exciting chapter of Strummer’s life, making the denouement of this film dragged out and un-compelling.
This calmer approach toward storytelling, however, coincides with the calmer years of Strummer’s life, and the authenticity of this mood shift does not take away from the effectiveness of the film. While aesthetically less interesting, the film gains a sense of meaning.
This shift is exemplified through the symbolism of fire-– while it is obvious throughout the film that each interviewee is sitting at a campfire, with always the slightest lick of a flame creeping into each shot, Temple reveals at the end of the film Strummer’s enthusiasm toward bonfires.
While in the presence of bonfires, Strummer was able to create music outside of The Clash for the first time. While fire may have given Strummer meaning beyond The Clash during his life, “Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten” serves this same purpose in his death.
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“Joe Strummer: The Future is Unknown”
Speakeasy Rating: A-
Running Time: 123 minutes
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Showings:
Tuesday, April 29 at the Athena Cinema: 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 30 at the Athena Cinema: 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 1 at the Athena Cinema: 1:00 p.m.
Check out the official Web site of the Athens Film Festival for more information about the 31 feature films and 215 competition films playing at this year's festival, running April 25 through May 1.