In Spring 2015 Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and a wide array of truly unique Indian artists were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at the beautiful Mehrangarh Fort. PTA depicts this stunning collaboration that results in an album called Junun.
Being an art-house documentary, PTA does a perfect job of simply guiding us through this complicated and inspirational process. There is no need for narration, the artists themselves are so interesting and creative that the viewer simply needs to observe. PTA achieves exactly this.
There is almost no dialogue as the movie intricately explores every member of the group and emphasizes how integral each little sound and voice is. We see silent Jonny Greenwood playing his signature moody guitar in the corner, while Shye Ben Tzur tediously orchestrates the process.
PTA shows us how various artists go great lengths to tune their instruments and just how difficult they work to get all the sounds and vocals exactly right. At the same time, all the group members are so deeply, culturally and religiously, ingrained in the process that it bring them true artistic and life joy.
It is extremely inspiring and beautiful to see and hear all the sounds come together. Junun is a truly unique musical album made by artists with highest levels of skill. Witnessing this process first hand through the creative and silent lens of Paul Thomas Anderson was a wonderful journey.
