OSCARS 2024: American Symphony (2023)

Some could probably make the argument that Barack Obama was far more successful as a pop culture icon than a president. This is probably why Barack and Michelle have pursued film and television since leaving office, creating the production studio Higher Grounds Production. Partnered with Netflix, the Obamas studio has largely created the kind of thing you'd expect: Uplifting stories about diverse Americans with a generally left-wing but not too challenging political bent. This approach has been well received with the Academy. The genuinely excellent "American Factory" won Best Documentary in 2020 and "Crip Camp" would be nominated in the same category the next year. Higher Grounds' output hasn't been quite as well received this year. "American Symphony," presumably their big push in the documentary category, was passed over. Instead, it would receive a sole Oscar nomination for Best Song. 

This might have to do with the film's slightly more niche premise. Instead of being about an issue facing countless Americans or an inspiring story of fighting for representation, it's about Jon Batiste. I don't really follow popular music so I didn't know who that was before starting this film. Batiste is a musician who combines jazz, classical, and modern soul music. His fifth album, "We Are," would be nominated for eleven Grammys and earn five, including album of the year. "American Symphony" follows Batiste in the aftermath of this victory, as he attempts to compose his first symphony and deals with his wife, Suleika Jaouad, struggling with leukemia.

"American Symphony" is directed by Matthew Heineman, previously of "Cartel Land." That film drew its power from dropping the audience right into the middle of an active war zone, the cameramen being shot at alongside the people on-screen. "American Symphony" is nowhere near that intense, obviously, but it does seek to capture a similar sense of intimacy with its subject. The filmmakers are at home with Batiste and his wife, as they get married, as they see a doctor or ride in an ambulance. Among the movie's most touching scenes is a moment devoted to John, Suleika, and friends just messing around in the snow. The composer gave Heineman and his team full access. We see him on the phone with his therapist, losing sleep at night, and even hear him talking from the bathroom at one point. That degree of openness does deserve to be applauded. 

Despite how much Batiste let the filmmakers into his life, "American Symphony" suffers from a serious lack of stakes. I mean, the guy's wife is fighting leukemia. That's about as big of a struggle on a personal level as one can imagine. Yet, I must stress, that this is not the focus of the film. This is a movie about Batiste and his music, especially the composition of the titular symphony. Certainly, great films have been made about the creative process and the artist's turmoil at trying to express themselves. The film mostly shows this by focusing on Batiste developing insomnia. Not so much from creative block. The actual musical process seems to go pretty smoothly in "American Symphony." Batiste has an understanding and extremely talented team around him, working to help him realize his vision. 

Instead, John's anxiety arises from the pressure he feels over trying to make great art, to live up to the expectations people have put on him. This too is an understandable problem from any creative person. Yet, when the guy's wife is potentially dying over here, it seems a lot more trivial. This is the main problem with "American Symphony." Batiste seems like a nice guy and relatively down-to-earth. Still, the film devoted time to showing him win Grammies and pose with the awards afterwards for photographers. There's a moment where he's recognized by multiple fans at the airport the next day. His collaborators and friends tell him how brilliant he is. We see him relaxing in a pool or on the beach while his wife is in the hospital or ambulance. Or watches him reap glory from home. I came away from "American Symphony" feeling like Suleika Jaouad was more worthy of a documentary than her husband. 

I'm not going to accuse the film of being an act of hubris by Jon Batiste but the decision to foreground his artistic pretensions over everything else unavoidably makes him look conceited. I wonder what point, exactly, the filmmakers were trying to make. Aside from showcasing the guy's talent. Yes, Jon Batiste is good. The climatic performance of the symphony the whole film is building towards is dynamic. The end credit song, "It Never Went Away," is the source of the movie's sole Oscar nomination. And it's probably the best of the Original Song nominees this year, a touching and subtle ode to Suleika. (Or Jon's ever-present anxiety, I'm not sure.) Ultimately though, "American Symphony" feels like an arm of the marketing department for its star's latest effort than a film meant to stand alone. [6/10]