Just a Reflektor

Too guarded to pass as a real documentary, the film is also too brashly edited to be a true concert film.

By Casey Jarman
IMAGE: Rama CC-by-SA-2.0-fr

BRANDED: Property of Arcade Fire Music LLC.

There's a giant watermark splashed across the screen of my critic's copy of The Reflektor Tapes, the new rock documentary from director Kahlil Joseph and Montreal's Arcade Fire. That's perfectly normal, except that the text of the watermark—"PROPERTY OF ARCADE FIRE MUSIC LLC"—can't help but mar the way a person processes the film. It's not just because ARCADE FIRE MUSIC LLC is a square title for an organization helmed by one of the world's most inventive art-pop bands (disclaimer: I'm a fan), but the declaration serves as a constant reminder that the film's contents were band-approved.

That speaks volumes. As the film opens, frontman Win Butler says, "You know, I feel like our lives are a lot crazier than we ever let each other in on." It's tantalizing, getting us excited for an intimate look at an inscrutable group. But we get nothing except some borderline-pretentious sound bites without any context: "All these influences are layers on top of each other" and, "It's like a diamond with a million cuts in it." Too guarded to pass as a real documentary, the film is also too brashly edited to be a true concert film. It ends up feeling like a 90-minute commercial for a 2-year-old album.

It's a pretty commercial, sure. Joseph alternates between black-and-white and color footage of the band in Haiti, where Arcade Fire found inspiration for the Reflektor album and recorded pieces of it. Street scenes at the Haitian Carnival in Jacmel are intercut with shots of Arcade Fire's stadium gigs, which pose questions about privilege, celebrity, history and cultural appropriation. But there's no time for reflection. There are no band arguments, no talk of where art ends and business begins, and precious few unguarded moments.

It's hard to blame the director for any of this when the band's name is burned into my screen. All musicians have egos, but I expected Arcade Fire to offer up something heartfelt. Instead, I got platitudes and artist statements. Then I realized that "Normal Person" is just '€"Takin'€™ Care of Business," with some new words. As a fan, itâ€'s a film I wish I could unwatch.

SEE IT: The Reflektor Tapes is rated PG-13. It opens 7 pm Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Cinema 21. GRADE: D+

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