This is a movie I want my kids to see. It deftly documents the genius of Danielson's art -- both visual and musical. It follows the band through preparations of its first tour in Europe, through several appearances at Cornerstone, and explains the formation of the band. At times it was very inspiring, as Daniel Smith honestly explains his vision as an artist and a believer -- all without succombing to the pressure to be a genre-serving part of the "Christian music industry." He accomplishes much for his art and for the kingdom of God (IMHO) by simply taking his art into the "marketplace of ideas" and letting it stand or fall on its own. The phenomenon that is Danielson is that a very large (and growing) fanbase has risen out of the alternative and indie rock scenes. This is the dream of many artists of faith, and now they have another role model and mentor in Smith. Sufjan Stevens' rise to fame this past year is woven into the story, as Danielson's past, his Sounds Familyre record label, and handmade art pieces are all covered in depth. Plenty of concert footage is shown -- both the homemade variety and professionally shot multi-camera footage. This is a real gem.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at March 15, 2006 11:31 AMI was fortunate enough to see this with Mr. Van Pelt, and also found it to be an informative and interesting film. Some great narratives by other family members, not just Daniel, add to the personal family quality of the movie. My one critique would be the amount of screen time given to Sufjan Stevens. I understand his involvement with the Famile, and how Dan worked with him in the studio, but I was there to see a story about Danielson - not about Sufjan. It's not that it ruined the film in any way,in fact, for many people(including the ones sitting behind us)it was probably their favorite part, as Sufjan is the current indie darling.
Overall - a fabulous film about a very misunderstood group of musicians. Highly recommended!