Joan Baez I Am a Noise

A documentary on the folk music iconoclast from last year. Taking place during her farewell tour during 2018, Baez is interviewed & provides archival photos & film about her rise from a little girl who liked to sing & managed to parlay that love into a career in the burgeoning folk music scene. Chronicling the rivalry she had w/her sister (who embarked in her own career as a singer even though dance was her calling) & also the men in her life which included Bob Dylan (who was at the beginning of his career) & a freedom fighter for change who was jailed for a spell, Baez manages to carve out a niche for herself by doing her own thing for many years singing her songs & even becoming a staple in the civil rights movement as she was at Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech in Washington DC in 1963 & even arrested herself for taking a stand. Always keeping an upbeat eye to her role in her own career (her one misstep, in her opinion, was her appearance at an Amnesty concert in the 1980's she participated in where we see her perform Tears for Fears' "Shout") where she still packs in the audiences who appreciated what she has always done.

Greetings again from the darkness. The often-barefooted Joan Baez absolutely built a legacy of activism and social consciousness through the civil rights movement, Vietnam protests, prison reform, environmental issues, and other causes, making her easy to admire. Her music made her rich and famous, and has left a mark and influenced many others This documentary was initially intended to cover her farewell tour in 2018 at age 78, and while it is structured around that tour, the three co-directors, Miri Navasky, Maeve O'Boyle, and Karen O'Connor, have ended up with an intimate look that covers more of Joan Baez the person, than Joan Baez the talented singer.

The film opens with a clip of a very young Joan performing. This is fitting because at age 18 she became an overnight sensation thanks to the Newport Festival and the cover of Time Magazine. Ms. Baez provides a great deal of personal insight for the film, and speaks to her three lives: a public life, a private life, and a secret life. The public life is Joan Baez the singer and activist. The private life is Joan's relationship with her sisters, Pauline and Mimi, and her secrets - too many of which are shared here - involve the therapy she has been involved with since she was 16 years old.

By 'too much', I am referring to the prolonged and detailed discussions about her mental illness, depression, and therapy sessions. In fact, the final product here feels like a therapy session for Joan. It's one thing to share the struggles in hopes that you can inspire others to get the help they need, but this one goes a step too far. Joan discusses the childhood abuse she and her sister "may" have suffered at the hands of her father. Mind you, she doesn't remember anything specific, but her therapist has made this scenario likely, so it has become a reality for Joan. While I fully support therapy, the idea of putting this on the table during this documentary is inexcusable to me.

Other segments are more befitting of the platform as Joan admits she was a bit lost after Vietnam because she no longer had a cause to support. Of course, the next few decades provided many opportunities for her, but the 'need a cause' comments provide insight into her persona ... as does the notebook she wrote at age 13 entitled, "What I Believe" ...an early indication that her observation skills were special. Hearing her speak of how Bob Dylan broke her heart is fascinating, especially as we note the painted portrait of him hanging over her piano - and the fact that she speaks of him frequently. She did meet her husband, journalist David Harris, while both were in jail, which has made for a fun story over the years, and we learn that their son Gabriel accompanied her on the final tour.

Somehow the filmmakers never mention Joan's performance at Woodstock, but we do get a clip of her presence at Martin Luther King's "Freedom" speech, and learn she was heavy into quaaludes for eight years. She discusses how being of half-Mexican descent impacted her life, and she's credited with leading the Peace Movement. The only issue with any of this is how deeply the film dives inside her head. Bringing her depression and mental struggles to the forefront is a valuable service, but dragging a deceased parent into this affects how we view Joan Baez and the film. Fare thee well, Joan. Fare thee well.

Opens in NYC theaters on October 6, 2023, and then other markets on October 13.

I Am a Noise is an in-depth portrait of Joan Baez's music career, political activism, and personal life. The strange title comes from what she wrote about herself as a young girl. Baez is remarkably insightful and honest about herself and her struggles with mental illness. Especially intense is her description of the family therapy she underwent, including excerpts from therapy tapes. I didn't give this excellent documentary a 10 because the therapy description went on too long for me.

This documentary is a must watch for serious and casual Joan Baez fans and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to hear a beautiful voice and learn about a significant American artist and political activist.

As "Joan Baez: I Am a Noise" (2023 release; 113 min) opens, Baez is singing "Oh Freedom" a cappella in footage from decade ago. We then go to the present, to Baez's home in California, where she talks into the camera about how fame at an early age affected her. She is working with a vocal coach in preparations of her 2018-19 "Fare Thee Well" (supposed farewell) world tour. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: the film makers in this documentary reflect on the life and times of Joan Baez, age 79 when this was filmed. But as it turns out, this is not your standard bio-pic. Of course it covers the familiar territory: Joan's family background, getting famous at an early age, her complicated relationship with both her sisters, her liaison with Bob Dylan, her involvement with the civil rights movement and later the anti-Vietnam peace movement, it all is covered. Then in the last 30 minutes, the documentary takes a sharp turn into a direction I did not see coming... I won't spoil of course, just watch! It makes for compelling viewing, that's for sure.

"Joan Baez: I Am a Noise" was released in US theaters in the Fall of 2023, and is now streaming on Hulu, where I saw it the other night. The documentary is currently rated 94% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which feels a little overly generous to me. I sought out the documentary after recently seeing the excellent Dylan bio-pic "A Complete Unknown", where Baez plays a central role. If you are a fan of either Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, I'd readily suggest you check out "Joan Baez: I Am a Noise", and draw your own conclusion.

Joan Baez I am a Noise was enthusiastically received at its North American Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. The film appears to start out as a tour film of Baez last tour in 2018 at age 78. But it really becomes and incredibly honest and intimate behind-the-scenes examination of her life as well as her music. She shares intimate details of her relationship with Bob Dylan and her husband David Harris. But really the focus in more on her and her struggles with depression and anxiety - subjects that are often hidden from public view. There was clearly a lot of darkness behind her beautiful voice. Some of the parts of the film related to the dysfunction in her family are deeply disturbing. The film also journeys through the connections between her music and her political activism.

The showing was greatly enhanced by Baez's presence at the end of the premiere in which she was enthusiastically welcomed. Clearly, she is a transcendent figure whose music has influenced generations. The film is a powerful record of her life. I also hope that it will give those suffering from mental illness more space to speak about their struggles. Highly recommended for fans as well as those who don't know much about her.