150 Word Review: ‘Summer of Soul’ (2021)
Questlove's doc reinvents 1969
I love concert movies: Stop Making Sense, The Last Waltz, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. The new documentary Summer of Soul is one of the best examples of that genre, and one of the best movies of 2021. It is political and emotional, and the music is transcendent.
The directorial debut of ‘The Roots’ drummer Questlove, Summer of Soul tells the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival, six weeks of live soul, gospel, and funk during the tumultuous summer of 1969 that has been nearly forgotten while another concert that year — Woodstock — attained historic status. Questlove argues this Black cultural event was a triumph that deserves as much attention.
Summer of Soul features unforgettable performances from Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Nina Simone, and Sly and the Family Stone and interviews with people who were there watching footage they haven’t seen in fifty years, their eyes tearing up with pride and wonder.