Most biographical documentaries are fawning to a fault. They do not interrogate their subjects, leading more toward hagiographic infotainment, rather than a thoughtful pursuit of someone’s life. The recent documentary about Tom Wolfe, for example, was a superficial examination of the writer, while another recent documentary about Rita Moreno – also a beloved figure – indulges in the actor’s vanity. So when a biographical documentary does it right, the result is downright refreshing. Joan Baez I Am a Noise is the rare documentary about a musician that burrows and illuminates. Baez speaks about her professional and personal life with remarkable candor, and the filmmakers do not squander the access she grants them.
Now in her 80s, Baez is remarkably spry. She is still active and exercises in the California ranch where she lives, and although she has formally retired from performing, that does not mean is lazy. At first, the filmmakers Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor, and Maeve O’Boyle deploy a typical approach. They cover Baez’s early life, and how she was sprung into the limelight of the folk scene at a young age. Yes, of course they also cover her relationship with Bob Dylan, and Joan speaks about him fondly. But as the film continues and Baez becomes more candid, the narrative takes a turn that puts everything we see in a new context. There was abuse in her family, and so we see why the anxious, expressive young girl found an outlet in music.
Baez is not shy about her faults and limitations. She admits she is more comfortable among crowds than one-on-one relationships, something that might be little solace to her son. We also see that ease of crowds in archival footage, like when she marched for civil rights in the South, or even nowadays where she dances with street performers in Paris. The cumulative effect is one of joy: here is a woman who rarely compromised with herself, if at all, and so she is left with few regrets and a lifetime of artistic expression. One of the film’s better flourishes is how it animates Baez’s sketches, imbibing them with movement. Even if Baez never picked up a guitar or sang, she was skilled enough as a fine artist that she could have pursued that as a career instead.
In between discussions about her past and footage of her concerts, the filmmakers follow Baez on her “farewell” 2019 tour. Her voice is not what it used to be – how could it be? – and yet she is still in grasp of her finest instrument. So many musicians from that era were lost to addiction, or stuck in their glory days. I Am a Noise gives the cumulative sense that Baez was never content just to relive the ’60s folk lifestyle for the rest of her days, another way of saying that a true artist like her evolves with the times, rather than staying stuck in what first gave them notoriety.
When I first saw I Am Noise, Baez was there for a post-film Q&A session. She was charming and vivacious, and even sang a little bit to prove – despite retirement – she’s still got it. After the screening there was a small reception in a hotel lobby, and when everyone was ready to head back to their hotels, there was Baez still out there with a Bluetooth speaker, DJing her own dance party to the delight of lucky fans who joined her.
Comfort in crowds, indeed.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
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