Do you like country music? If your answer is “no”, then you probably just didn’t listen to her, or listened, but not at all. Here is a selection of modern films shot mainly in the 2000s, after which you will not be able to remain indifferent to country music… Well, or you don’t have a heart! All these films deserve ten points, the precinct officer will not let you lie, let alone IMDB ratings.
Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)
The Belgian drama The Open Circle is one of the best musical films and the poignant story of bluegrass musician Didier (Monroe) and tattoo artist Eliza (Alabama). “Alabama and Monroe” was the name of the film at the French box office.
This is practically a documentary, an impartial capture of fragments of the lives of the main characters. In general, Europeans like to make films from the series “how it all started and what it all came to.” Chronologically, the episodes are mixed up, we will go back 7 years ago and see the beginning of their relationship. Those very romantic first moments.
Well, the songs in the movie are just great. After watching, you have every chance to fall in love with the root music of country – bluegrass. Another definition of bluegrass is as if jazzmen were playing country music. And surely you will appreciate the soundtrack. There are both original author’s songs and traditional ones – Wayfaring Stranger and Will The Circle Be Unbroken. The latter gave the name to this picture.
If you are impressionable, be careful with watching the Open Circle, it is possible that at the end you will cry your eyes out.
Crazy Heart (Crazy Heart, 2009)
Crazy Heart is one of the best country movies in the genre. The main character is 57-year-old country singer Bad Blake, on the verge of a foul, performing in eateries and bowling alleys. Jeff Bridges played his Bad Blake, inspired by Kris Kristofferson and Stephen Bruton (musician and songwriter, songwriter for this film). But his aviators, hat and beard are definitely Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams II. And somewhere even David Allan Coe and Merle Haggard.
On the one hand, Bad is a legendary bad guy who is on an eternal tour, whiskey bottles and women replace each other, both for one night, the wild romance of a fallen country star – a man who still touches people’s hearts and gathers halls: when he sings, they listen to him, the audience is ready to tolerate even his dismissive antics on stage.
On the other hand, Bad is really bad, he is a chronic alcoholic with shaken health, bankrupt, a tumbleweed without love and family, hating himself for his vices.
And now our hero meets a good woman, she has a little son – fate gives Bad a chance to find harmony in life. Will he be able to become a husband and father?
Here Jeff Bridges gave 200% and played so well that he earned his first Oscar. Moreover, he even sang a few songs. The live performance was recorded at a real concert with Tobby Keith.
Cross the Line (Walk The Line, 2005)
Cross the Line is a biopic about the legend of country music – Johnny Cash (1932-2003). The plot focuses on Johnny’s relationship with June Carter and his problems with pills and alcohol, and unfortunately there is almost no attention paid to how his songs were created. A great game of the star duo Joaquin Phoenix – Reese Witherspoon. After watching the movie, I immediately want to listen to all the musical material, especially since Joaquin and Reese themselves perform these songs, which have become classics of the genre. Reese has received numerous awards for her role, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.
When I first heard Johnny Cash, I thought: It’s like Elvis is singing country music. Add to this the catchy life texts and here you have the American bard music of our time. And it’s not for nothing that Cash was written at the same Sun studio in Memphis with Sam Phillips – with Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis and toured the American outback with them.
A tall man dressed in black, with an amazing sense of self-esteem, his voice is direct and honest. Notice how he holds the guitar and how he turns his head on stage during the performance. Johnny Cash was the first to perform country music with a real rock and roll drive.
Crossing the Line immediately became a cult, and despite the presence of a large number of inaccuracies and discrepancies with the real biography of Cash (who, being alive, himself approved the actors for the main roles). The film is a must-see.
Wild Rose (Wild Rose, 2019)
Wild Rose is a motivational film about a young singer Rosalynn Harlan from Glasgow, who dreams of going to America and conquering Nashville, the world capital of country music. The name of the main character is quite a household name: the Rose Garden song is the most famous by Lynn Anderson, and Harlan is a county in Kentucky.
Rosalynn loves to drink and have fun to the fullest, she has all the data for music – voice, charisma, drive. But the turbulent youth did not pass without a trace, once she became a mother, and today she needs to take care of children with whom relations do not work out due to her long absence due to certain circumstances. Her mother gives her grandchildren all her free time and is not enthusiastic about Rosalynn’s musical experiments.
And our singer sometimes has to make a cruel choice, which brings tears to her eyes and makes her heart ache. No matter what, she will keep going forward, but is it worth paying a high price for a ghostly goal? The conclusion that the heroine will make in the finale can be predicted already in the middle of the film, but this does not make it any less interesting.
The role of Rosalynn, a kind of Scottish Janis Joplin in the country is the star breakthrough of Irish actress Jessie Buckley. For this role, Jessie was awarded the BAFTA Scotland award. She also performs almost all the songs in the film.
I Saw The Light (I Saw The Light, 2015)
I Saw The Light is another biopic about a country legend. Hank Williams (1923-1953) is perhaps the very first in the host of country gods. Several films have already been made about Hank, was there a need for another biography?
Definitely, biopic of this quality should be shot once every 20 years. Here we dive into the inner world of Hank, with his complicated relationships with women, addiction to alcohol and barbiturates, failure to fulfill creative obligations and obligations in general. We see how his personal life is gradually being destroyed: there are serious falls, short-term ups, and all this against the background of the stunning success of Hank I. His listeners are ready to forgive him for bad shows, lengthy drunken speeches, non-attendance at concerts, up to non-attendance due to death.
Hank Williams I was brilliantly played by British actor Tom Hiddleston. In his performance, Hank evokes sympathy and compassion.In front of us is a great songwriter and at the same time a “cut-off hunk” who has everything in his life except a guitar and a bottle falling out of his hands.
For this role, Tom lost weight, learned to sing and play guitar after spending a month at the home of musician Rodney Crowell in Nashville, who taught him hillbilly – authentic country music. All the songs in the film are sung personally by Hiddleston.
I Saw The Light is Hank’s gospel of the same name, beloved by many, including Johnny Cash, repeatedly performed in Columbo: Swan Song. He saw a light, and that light was not on earth.
Yellow Rose (Yellow Rose, 2019)
Have you tried hammering a square peg into a round hole? Especially when it’s out of size. Square Peg Round Hole is a song by Rose Garcia about herself, who by all means wants to hammer herself into the cantreve theme. Singer and actress of Broadway musicals Eva Noblesada starred in a movie for the first time, all of Rose’s songs are sung by herself. Her partner in the film, Dale Watson, a gray-haired country rockabilly star, believes that “Yellow Rose” is a rather insulting nickname. And the young Filipina listens to Loretta Lynn‘s records and composes songs with a guitar. Where will her dreams of country music lead her?
Rose travels to Austin, Texas, and listens to country music live at the iconic Broken Spoke honky tonk. Country musicians can be your friends, even teachers, you can have a great time, but they will not take responsibility for you and become your parents. Our heroine has problems with the law, she is an outlaw, a migrant with an expired visa. Rose Garcia is not trying to bring her folklore and Asian flavor, but just wants to survive, stay and play her favorite music.
Diane Paragas’ directorial debut in full artistic meter is a naive, simple, but honest and intelligent movie. It is distinguished from pop films that parasitize country music by its informality, contemplation and inability to shoot according to Hollywood canons. The sadness and confusion of the main character is not replaced by a resounding success, comprehensive happiness does not suddenly fall on her head. This is not “A Star is Born”, but rather the opposite.
Such Roses bloom all over the world and “a flower that blooms separately from others is the most beautiful.” And of course, their path is thorny and not at all strewn with flowers. I never promised you a rose garden.
