a-ha: The Movie

This is a good documentary about my favourite band growing up on the 80's. I still contend that Scoundrel Days is one of three perfect albums ever made. The other two being Joshua Kadison's Painted Desert Serenade and U2's Joshua Tree.

It was sad though to see the ongoing strife and resentment between the band members. At times the constant bickering seemed childish, but like a family does, they seem to get together again. Therefore, great and sad feelings were experienced watching it. I suppose life never really presents the fairy tales we were told as kids.

A documentary made for the fans, with a strong nod to those who will seek out their catalogue after viewing. With a large nod to Ron Howard's Beatles doc, Thomas Robsahm has opened the a-ha box and has shown everyone the pains of when 3 of the most talented musicians ever, collide to make timeless classic pop music with 3 different directions.

What the non-fans will admire from the doc is the raw talent from an early age - Mags learning keyboards in just a few weeks - the record breaking crowds, the solo projects and how 3 close friends ultimately respect each other - even when not liking each other.

What the fans will see is a dark picture of pain, distrust, lack of empathy and a drive to be World Famous - but then deciding fame wasn't for them at all.

It's a very well put together timeline which intersperses with old and new footage, rehearsals, recordings and not a single interview of the band together. You'll love it.

I have always thought the descriptive word for one particular style of music was utterly stupid. When music journalists or DJ's etc came up with the names, 'SOUL', 'Rock & Roll', 'ROCK', Heavy Metal' and 'Thrash' music etc they all make absolute sense. From early classical music to our now times of all styles of music they are all popular but, there is one music term used to describe a brand of music that does not and has not EVER existed. That descriptive word is 'POP' music. I mention that here because you find out in this documentary that it was not what A-ha started out to be and that they have hated the fact that they became a teen fave band. I largely credit that problem to them, and their naivety, with allowing too many people to have absolute control in their musical direction. The music industry (and I know this as a fact but I'm not mentioning name's etc.) is a very corrupt, greedy, life-force draining business that, if you let it, will use you up, severely overwork you, get as much out of you in profits as it can and, then ditch you and spit you out if you become worn out! A-ha have experienced (just slightly, luckily for them) some of the industry pitfalls but the rest of the failings they have created for themselves is purely of their own making; and they won't - for some unknown reason - try to solve their individual stubborn attitudinal ego problems.

The most important comment in this entire documentary is expressed by a group members wife in the following line's, "They need to first see a psychiatrist/psychiatrists individually and then as a group". You will know exactly why when/if you watch this! For now they are just lucky they were not born in Japan or South Korea because, J-Pop and K-Pop is directly aimed at and for teens and it is seriously ten times worse in their individual countries music industries; utterly disgraceful in fact!

I was, and still am to this day, an immediate lover of A-Ha's music and style from the absolute beginning and, I enjoy listening to their music just as much today. They have inspired some of the biggest names in music of the last 35 years but for their petty niggling and bickering amongst themselves etc, they have denied themselves a truly deserved 'Superstars' mantle of gifted for their unique musical style recognition!

Watch it as it is a fascinating insight you never get to see (record companies hire people to hide all of this type of thing so that the money keeps pouring in).

A lot of people would/will not like what I will finish with here but, they should disband and go their own ways. The Ah in A-Ha has gone.

PS. I saw a documentary concerning the exact same problems about METALLICA. They chose going down the getting help path when things got bad/worse between them and, the psychiatrist path helped them BIG time!

A-ha: The Movie could have easily devolved into a tabloid-esque expose on the strife and egos of a band that has been in the limelight for more than 35 years. It never goes there. Yes, there is some strife, some disagreements, some resentment, but it's never the focus of the movie. Instead, it becomes a sympathetic psychological treatise on the effects of chronic fame on three individuals, a view unsullied by the usual tropes of debauchery and substance abuse. The result isn't a sudden implosion but a steadily dripping tap, slowly eroding the creative drive. The effects interfere with the physical health, the need to retain creative control, and the ability to find sanctuary in a sea of noise - a world full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Some of the stories are well-known, the stuff of legend among fans; some are less so, culminating in an extremely vulnerable moment shared (and for that, I thank him), painful to watch and obviously excruciating to experience. The movie ends not as a coda, but with an ellipsis, leaving open what may come, never attempting to speculate beyond asking each member the time-worn question: "Will there be another new album?"

• Sincerely, an a-ha fan in the U. S. since 1985.

A wonderful band, with a rich history. Far richer than many people most likely think. A band that has taken a lot of crap especially from the american music industry and music media, where the label only focused on the looks rather than the bands songwriting and composing abilities, insisting on turning them into a boyband. After 8 years, the band gave up on the US, but has recorded, released and toured til today and continues to do so. They have now released 11 albums. The most recent one in 2022.

A very missunderstood band.

The movie gives an insight into a complex friendship with it ups and downs, twist and turns and th e flip side of becoming famous too fast.

The only negative thing about the movie, is that Take On Me is played way to much. . They should have included more songs from their catalogue of over 115 songs in the movie, to give an even more insightful presentation of the band.