Summary
- The documentary follows Vince Anderson, a unique musical figure leading a weekly residency in Brooklyn.
- Supposedly exploring themes of religion and art, the film falls short by lacking depth and substance.
- The power of community and music is highlighted, but the documentary fails to make its subject all that interesting.
After years of so-called unprecedented event after unprecedented event, you'll find a lot of people describing positive and well-meaning movies, books, and TV as something that "we need right now." The Reverend is precisely that kind of film. The documentary follows Vince Anderson, leader of his band The Love Choir, who have a weekly residency in Brooklyn where they perform "dirty gospel" music to an adoring crowd. Anderson didn't plan his life that way, but after dropping out of seminary school, this is how he ended up expressing his faith and engaging with his community.
It's a simple documentary, charting the course of Anderson's adult life as he contends with religion and art in equal measure. He finds love, organizes political campaigns, and cares for those around him. Anderson is shown to be a strong musician who has a big heart and seems to have a lot to say. In many cases, simplicity is a good thing. It can create space for audience interpretation and let the art speak for itself. However, in this case, it's the documentary's fatal flaw; there just isn't enough to sink your teeth into. Themes of art and religion are timeless — continually producing new and interesting thoughts — but The Reverend doesn't actually have much to add.
Vince Anderson: A Democratic Leader
The Reverend
2/5
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Director
- Nick Canfield
- Cast
- Vince Anderson , Questlove , Jaleel Bunton , Dave Smoota Smith , Moist Paula Henderson
- Runtime
- 86 Minutes
- Good music and a kind-hearted subject.
- Lively and interesting look at political activism.
- A mostly pointless film that feels self-indulgent.
- The movie finds its subject much more interesting than it really is.
- The Reverend skims the surface and leaves things unexplored.
The Reverend's strongest component is its discussions of community, something that often goes hand in hand with religion. Anderson is no ordinary religious leader; he dropped out of seminary school, choosing to pursue music over a traditional path of ministry. Rather than being appointed to a church, he is instead a minister chosen by his community. Describing the earlier days of his musical career, Anderson says he discovered that "drunk people like gospel music" when playing in bars, and that it makes sense to "use your gifts where people gather." In this way, by attracting committed and engaged audiences week after week, Anderson was democratically chosen by his community instead of being assigned to them.
This sense of democracy and community is carried over to the portion of the documentary dedicated to the aftermath of the 2016 US election. Instead of wallowing in disappointment and disgust, Anderson and his community put in significant effort to sway religious people away from Trumpian rhetoric. It's a powerful sight to see, and if this momentum had been kept up within the documentary itself, it might have created a more persuasive and compelling piece of work.
Another particularly strong moment that grew from Anderson's dedication to his congregation is when we get a glimpse into his work with young Black members of his community. Also in the aftermath of the election, he held a workshop for these young people in which they got to make music together and express themselves. Anderson had an excellent approach here, stepping back from the spotlight to allow these teenagers to shine and connect with each other. This sequence, which is interesting both emotionally and intellectually, once again highlights that if the documentary had leaned into the political side of things more, it could have struck a more powerful chord.
The Power of Live Music
Religious or not, it's hard to find someone who is unmoved by live music of their choice. There is an undeniable quality that comes from singing, dancing, and even crying communally at a live performance. This is true of any kind of music, so when various participants in this documentary repeat the sentiment that Anderson's weekly event is a one-of-a-kind scenario, and even that it's one of the last places "where we get to sing together," it raises an eyebrow or two. Sure, a weekly residency that's been going on for 20 years and counting is a huge achievement and a unique one at that. But to argue that there is nowhere else to participate in live music (in New York City of all places) is absurd.
Speaking about the state of politics in the United States, Anderson argues, "Not singing together is probably one of the reasons for the mess we're in right now." This is one of a number of comments made along similar lines that are just plain confusing. Why do all of these people seem to think that there is nowhere else for groups to sing and dance together when this is what almost all nightlife revolves around?
Clubs, bars, concerts, and karaoke are all music-centric activities that almost everyone participates in at some point in their lives, not to mention weekly church services. It would have been easy to convey that Anderson has created a unique environment and tradition without resorting to this level of hyperbole. The result, unfortunately, makes it harder to get on board with the thesis of this documentary.
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Instead of spending time trying to assert that live music is dead, The Reverend could have spent more time engaging with its central themes of art and religion. A fascinating moment came from Anderson sharing that, after dropping out of seminary school, it was Martin Scorsese's movieThe Last Temptation of Christ that reignited his desire to get more involved with religion. By somewhat glossing over this statement, the filmmakers missed out on what could have been a great moment of intertextuality. What was it about the movie that spoke to him in ways that other religious texts had not? Does the story mirror, intersect, or diverge from Anderson's own story in any way? So much went unpacked here.
The central figure of this documentary is a man who has surrounded himself with his own religious community by creating and performing art. So, it should follow that the documentary about this man would take the thematic baton from Anderson and run with it. However, it's much too focused on trying to convey the uniqueness of Anderson as a person along with his weekly music sessions that the film might not fully understand its own subject.
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Want to know more about the art world? These documentaries on artists may help out.While art can and should be assessed independently of its creator, it is interesting to note that The Reverend's director, Nick Canfield, is himself a long-time attendee of these events. This comes across in the misplaced focus of this project. It seems that Canfield wanted to convey how special and unique these outings are, but is too close to the subject to realize that the audience doesn't see what he sees.
So, What's the Point of The Reverend?
There are several moments in The Reverend that feel like things are about to click into place; Anderson's political activism, for example. But the spark never quite ignites. It's a project that is filled with life and uplifting in many ways, which makes it all the more disappointing to be left wondering what it was all for while the credits roll. Unfortunately, there is never a good enough reason given as to why we should care about all of this.
With that said, it's also hard to hold a grudge against something as kind-hearted as this. Everyone involved cares deeply about Anderson, who returns the love in spades. It's evident that Anderson has formed a special community who are well and truly dedicated to each other. The potential for a thematically rich exploration of art, religion, and community didn't quite come to fruition, but maybe that can be forgiven.
From Observant Films, The Reverend will be available to stream Mar. 1st, 2024, on The Criterion Channel.
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