Saturday, August 10, 2013
Rock and soul
I am a sucker for this kind of movie.
the semi true story of a group of singing Aborigine girls in Australia. Sisters and a cousin.
They try out for an amateur contest and are seen by a down and out white musician and fan of soul music. Now running cheap contests in cheaper barrooms.
It is the sixties and racial hatred is still on the front burner. Nevertheless the singers connect with the promoter and he takes them over when they agree that country and western is not their thing. He sees them as soul sisters.
This introduces a racial reality and sets up a parallel theme of racial justice.
But the main thing is the making of the group which goes to Viet Nam to play for troops and manage to hone their act to a fine, rocking and souling group with great covers of black hits.
Some drama ensues from the battleground background, the girls work out their shit with each other, the manager and the group's hard ass sister fall in love and the girls become successful performing women. They grow up.
It is a familiar kind of musical bio-pic but with special spins which make it quite a lot of fun and also kinda sort of sad here and there.
At times, the racial picture seems to take over but then we do not know the harshness of these kids' experience. When it emerges, it is easy to get the importance of this singing thing to their life and the life of their family.
The music is top notch of course and there is a lot of it. Not only the performances of the group but the sides put in for atmosphere throughout.
I enjoyed it a great deal. It is one of those films that would never win an award but would be sure to win our hearts. An easy 4 out of Netflix5. I would be glad to see it again just to listen to the music.
