hannahhightman

This definitely made me reevaluate the term "girl group" lol-- it's very reductive and benevolently sexist to lump all female bands (regardless of style) under one catch-all, umbrella term that doesn't really do justice to anybody anyway. You can tell that Minsker is genuinely passionate about his work and the communities that he explores in his documentaries. It's nice to see this community explored by someone who cares about ensuring that it gets the attention that it deserves. I definitely wouldn't have been exposed to these artists if it weren't for this film. This film is really well-balanced. There's live performance footage as well as interviews.

Although I much prefer Ethan Minsker's later work like Man in Camo, it's nice to visit some of his earlier work to see how he's evolved as an artist over time. I always enjoy hearing Ethan's tales about the old East Village, and this is a really fascinating edition to his oeuvre that focuses on many of the same themes as Barstool Prophets and The Soft Hustle. It is set in the same place and time as the other two works. It takes a lot to be able to survive in New York (as the main character of this movie can attest to), and consuming Ethan's work always reminds me of that fact, and makes me appreciate the history of my neighborhood.

I watched this after reading Ethan Minsker's book, Barstool Prophets, and I think the two go really well together-- both explore the hustle of living in the LES of New York. It feels very authentic and gritty, and though it's not as aesthetically pleasing as some of Minsker's more recent work, it's remarkably honest and still enthralling to watch. My experience in New York is vastly different from what's depicted here, but the hustle and thirst for something more I think are still present in the city today. As other reviewers have pointed out, hustle can refer to anything that you struggle to get, so the title works on many levels. Definitely worth a watch.