Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, January 29:
MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS
Directors:
Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Premiere:
SXSW 2017
Select Festivals:
Full Frame, Nashville, IDFA
About:
A behind-the-scenes look at the folk rock band as they record their latest album.
Longtime fans of the NC band, directors Apatow and Bonfiglio offer a loving tribute, focusing on the sibling pair at its heart, elder brother Scott and younger brother Seth. Hewing fairly close to music docs of its ilk, the film reviews the band’s origins, presents numerous performances, and provides fans a look at their creative process in the studio with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin to record “True Sadness,” which went on to be nominated for two Grammy Awards. Along the way, Apatow and Bonfiglio establish and re-establish that Scott and Seth are remarkably close and that everyone in the band gets along, briefly profiling other bandmates and family members. While offering some pathos in the consideration of the real-life inspiration of Seth’s new song about divorce, the film largely feels fairly surface, playing primarily to its fanbase and never really transcending its celebratory feel to dig much deeper.
what (not) to doc 