AMERICAN HARDCORE
Directed by Paul Rachman
R, 100 min.
Hardcore punk rock hit its zenith in the early '80s. Bands like Minor Threat, Black Flag and Bad Brains created an American grassroots music scene with consumer confidence and Reagan-era morality in its cross hairs. Hardcore was the punk rock catharsis,
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the naked aggression captured by marginalized youth weary of the American Dream, '70s drug
excess and "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" anthems. The most important and vital hardcore bands were typically comprised of politically sensitive and articulate teenagers. They had no agenda, no plans for world domination, financial security, rock star posturing or big record deals. Their refusal to live within the confines of a predictable society and mainstream music was well informed and independent.
American Hardcore
, a new documentary by Paul Rachman, is most poignant as it realizes the key character of hardcore is the voice of true dissent that dissolved itself rather sell itself. Rachman unfolds the map of the hardcore scene as an '80s social realist expression.
The film is based on the book by Steven Blush,
American Hardcore: A Tribal History
. Like the film's subjects, Rachman and Blush, who helped to produce the film, created their work on a shoestring budget and were responsible for 100 percent of the effort. The film took five years to complete and was edited by Rachman on a laptop computer.
American Hardcore
combines interviews with live music footage as it ambles through a six-year period in which hardcore flourishes and eventually dies.
The film is largely anecdotal and struggles through a lack of context, making it feel repetitive and underdeveloped at moments. Arguably, an accurate portrayal of the punk rock scene can't be explained vicariously. In this, Rachman and Blush take note from the Charlie Parker school of thought: "If you don't live, it won't come out of your horn." Thus, the largely ignored story of hardcore can only be told truthfully through the musicians, promoters and fans that experienced the scene. Ultimately, Rachman and Blush successfully uncover the relevance of hardcore punk rock as a true American invention.
American Hardcore
starts Friday, Dec. 8 at CCA. See Movie Theaters and Showtimes.
