There are three general subgenres of music documentaries: the concert film, the “educational” film that explores a music genre through a historical or cultural perspective, and lastly, the verite film, that follows a band or artists during their everyday lives, more often than not during a tour.
The last example is arguably the most difficult to pull off, running the risk of either boring the audience with inanities or descending into rock-star cliché (cue slow-motion shots of tired band members entering a tour bus). Filmmaker Kevin Fritz attempts to avoid both of these aesthetic pitfalls in the film Wasted Orient, where Fritz follows the regionally famous Beijing-based punk band Joyside during a multiple-city tour across China. The result is a frenetic glimpse into the daily life of a young punk band trying to break out in the country’s small and struggling rock scene.
Fritz’s gonzo visual style and rapid-fire editing immediately plunge viewers into the middle of Joyside’s drunken adventures without much time to catch one’s breath. It would have been expected for Fritz to use Joyside’s exploits as the jumping-off point for broader commentary — perhaps on Chinese youth’s struggle for free expression and to make a decent living in harsh economic times.
Between the chaotic live performances (the best parts of the film) and the band’s worship of New York Dolls guitarist/singer Johnny Thunders, there are revealing moments that hint the guys may indeed have something of substance to say about these issues. Unfortunately, they’re too drunk and immature to really express much outside of their own feelings of alienation, along with the punchdrunk exhaustion of touring and the giddy unpredictability of live performance.
Of course, the same description could be made of Western punks. But focusing on the backdrop of China’s continuing social and cultural change, though somewhat cliche, may have proved ultimately more compelling than watching the band members repeatedly getting fucked up in various bars and puking on the side of the street for an hour and a half. Even so, the chaotic concert footage and the simple moments of insight make Wasted Orient a fun and fascinating film to watch as it unfolds.
– Keidra Chaney
Wasted Orient
Director: Kevin Fritz
92 minutes, Plexifilm
Released on DVD 9/25/07
Wasted Orient: www.wastedorient.com
Plexifilm: www.plexifilm.com