Pardon if this statement seems like hyperbole, but Band might be the greatest Icelandic music doc ever. The competition admittedly isn’t very stiff, but the bar is officially set. Band is as delightfully weird and wacky as the tunes of the Post Performance Blues Band (PPBB) that fuel it. What follows is a story of being twenty feet from stardom. Bandmates Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (who also directed the doc), Hrefna Lind Lárusdóttir, Saga Sigurðardóttir are tired of playing dive bars with single-digit crowds. These artists are at a make-or-break moment in their journey. Having invested so much time and energy into their music, they agree that it’s time to make the leap. They can make the twenty-foot jump and become stars, or they can bellyflop while trying. Buckle in and embrace the strange as Band follows these wannabe rockers. It’s a wild ride.
Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
Predictably, it’s hilarious. The ladies let loose on stage, delivering something halfway between a proper (if under-attended) gig and performance art. Sometimes it feels like they are working together; sometimes each of them dances to her own tune. There is something inspiring about that, to be honest, about seeing women allowing themselves this kind of freedom: the freedom to be silly, to be paid in beer and to enjoy whatever this kind of setting – and an exceptionally well-behaved audience – has to offer. If that’s failure, it actually looks like fun.
Marta Bałaga, Cineuropa
The film is also available online throughout the festival!
The director Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir is present in the screening on Thu, Feb 2.