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★★★★
Directed by: #Milton
Written by: #BenArcher
Starring: #Bipolar, #Flasyd, #MirandaAndTheBeat, #TheMysteryLights
Step into the driving seat for a blistering ride deep into the contemporary Brooklyn punk scene. A day in the life of female punk band Flasyd. This fly-on-the wall style documentary examines a subculture with roots in the past while exploring the evolution of this thriving scene. Their story is depicted through music and the eccentric characters that inhabit their world.
Beyond the hustle and bustle of the city life in New York, in the far-most corners of Brooklyn, a whole world of music is exploding, but going mostly unnoticed. Milton’s Always Fast, Hardly Accurate changes that fact with a documentary showcasing the lives and creations of a few punk rock bands (specifically Flasyd) in the back alleys and clubs of a crowded city.
This is just more proof of Brooklyn and New York looking incredibly beautiful in black and white, even with its rugged, gritty look. Always Fast, Hardly Accurate was a chance encounter for the film crew; they planned on stopping over in NY on their way to Austin, Texas for SXSW, which was inevitably cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. So, they took to the streets to meet up with punk band Flasyd, and in just two days captured a visually and musically inviting snapshot of their lives. What this short documentary manages to conjure up is quite amazing — there’s a real polished feel even though it’s intentionally presented in a messy, thrown together way. It’s like something from the 90s/00s but energetic and intriguing enough to pull you right in.
The scenes are pretty well crafted and placed given the little time the filmmakers had to create it. There was little to no plan or roadmap, so the final result is quite impressive. There are moments with the band members, sharing a brief glimpse of their personalities, intercutting with live performances of their high-energy music. There really is no place like New York City, or its surrounding areas. The masses of life bursting from every corner; it only takes a camera crew pointing the lens in a certain direction to see just how vibrant the culture is. Overlaying the footage is a scribbled typeface with names and locations to break up the sectioning in the ‘story.’ Overall, this documentary has a very nice presentation.
As for the music itself, it’s not in my taste, but it doesn’t detract from the talent and skill bubbling out of these interesting individuals. We only see a day in their lives, but the candid moments encased in this impromptu film display a likeable nature that I’m sure viewers could attach or possibly relate to. There’s an emphasis on collaboration and bonds, tough to be broken. We see the bands discussing each other’s music and performing their songs, giving the sense of creativity and expression being a form of happiness and joy. This isn’t a job or a career to them, it’s a way of life. Simply to exist with a positive attitude of self-exploration.
Milton’s emphasis on these ideas really make Always Fast, Hardly Accurate quite the entertaining and insightful piece. It drives home the message that life is about living in the moment, that past and future are just memories and imagination respectively, that what truly matters is the present. So live every moment.
Watch the trailer for Always Fast, Hardly Accurate here:
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