Movie review: 'Neil Young Trunk Show: Scenes from a Concert'
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 4)
In the transcendent scene from Jonathan Demme’s “Neil Young Trunk Show: Scenes from a Concert,” which opens Friday in theaters, the director and guitarist take the viewer on an epic tour of a song called “No Hidden Path.”
His gray hair like a halo of straw illuminated by the lights, a hunched-over Young stalks the stage while coaxing clusters of melody or abrasive howls from his guitar. He is a picture of disheveled concentration, eyes ablaze yet turned inward, immersed completely in the strings, the sound, the moment, blanking out all distraction. He huddles with his band as they play, drawing them into his orbit, then spinning away. He leans toward the drum riser, occasionally making eye contact with drummer Ralph Molina, who slams away beneath a fluttering Jolly Roger flag.
Demme’s cameras do not break away to survey the crowd, or jump-cut nervously from one musician to another. Instead, they calmly allow the viewer to observe the song’s unfolding drama, a series of ebbs and surges spanning a quarter-hour. The director’s intense, unswerving gaze matches Young’s own. His close-ups hold a moment until we can see beads of sweat on the guitarist’s weathered skin, then pull away slowly to reveal the faces of all the band members caught up in the moment alongside him. Young keeps digging deeper inside the song until he’s exhausted every possibility, savoring every note until the last lingering moan of distortion.
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