Summer of Soul

Movie: Summer of Soul

Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature

How I watched: Disney+

When I fell asleep: I think I drifted once or twice and had to go back

When it had me: The music!

When it lost me: A huge question!

What I have to say:

This was a joyful and surprising piece about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The music is so amazing and there is so much to cover after six weekends of performances. It is astounding that I have never heard of this event that took place the same year as Woodstock. It is also amazing to imagine them pulling off an event of this magnitude with what seemed to be a relatively small budget.

This is the rare Oscar documentary that is FUN to watch and it treats all of its subjects, not just with respect but with reverence. It is a celebration of music, of black culture, of history, of New York and of unity. 

The ONE thing that drove me crazy was that the movie opened by saying the footage of the concert had been packed away and 'lost' for all of these decades and I kept waiting for the story of how they were rediscovered and how they came to be in Questlove's care. It seemed insane that question was never answered. Nonetheless, I could see wanting to watch this documentary over and over again.