A Dog Called Money

Highly remarkable documentary chronicles PJ Harvey's visits to Kabul, Kosovo and Washington D. C. and how the encounters and impressions directly inspired the songs of her album The Hope Six Demolition Project and includes the startling public recording sessions of the album; although it's complex project, we do get a clear view into the creative process for this album.

PJ Harvey seems to be an awesomely weird chick, and I like to watch movies that explore an artist's creative process. PJ Harvey accompanies a photographer Seamus Murphy on his reporting trips over the four years. They visit Afganistan, Kosovo, and Washington. The footages from the recording session switch with footage from their trips with voice over by Harvey herself. She doesn't tell us straight what she sees or feels, but she gives her emotions forward in poetry.

It was beautiful and at the same time a sad movie - to see how this world is torn apart by corporate greed, politics, and war, and yet there are all these people trying to go on with their lives, and some even trying to create something beautiful. I didn't like how the film that just observed still took a political stance (quite a strong one, I might add), towards the end, where they showed images from Trump's inauguration. I'm not much fond off the guy, but I'm getting tired of all this anti-Trump thing by now.

A beautiful movie that shows the beautiful artist in making a gift to the world. Not particularly informative documentary and most definitely not the best rockumentary out there, but I enjoyed the general vibe of the movie.

Explore the artistic process behind what is likely to become a very strong album for PJ Harvey. We witness Harvey visit character-rich, and resource-lacking places. Here are jams with locals, grave tales from the street and visible effects on a post-war country. Meanwhile home in London, Harvey sets up a recording studio made into an art exhibit that lets the audience peer into her recording process. We as the audience are similarly given this same experience.

For someone deeply interested in music and songwriting, it's a relevatory documentary that shows how inspiration in the real world translates to an auditory experience in the studio (with the help of outstanding musicians).

As interesting as this is to a non PJ Harvey fan, I have not heard any of her music prior to this, this documentary leaves an overwhelming sense of exploitation. Part travel doc, part recording session and part navel gazing we follow PJ Harvey through a number of destinations. All they have in common is poverty, war and human suffering. This appears as a kind of poverty and grief safari which the artist can use as "inspiration" for an album which will no doubt bring in some cash. I used commas for inspiration as some of the resulting tracks seem to steal music from the locals of where she visits, no doubt they will be left off the sleeve notes and without cash from their input. Unfortunately white musicians have the knack for appropriation without compensation. At the same time as trying to pretend they are doing something deep or clever by copying music from other countries and cultures. A dog called money? Maybe call it something more accurate like rich artists visit the poor for profit? It's well shot but it's a very shallow exercise in rich peoples hypocrisy of pretending to care about the poor while making money off them. A quick look at her Instagram page shows over 330 thousand followers and not a single person followed back. Tells you all you need to know about the focus of this documentary. Avoid unless you are a fan.

Seen at Viennale 2019: An early highlight of the Festival? This rockumentary catches my attention from the begin to the end. The way how thoughtful and intellectual Harvey visits all these places of different lifestyles is really impressive. Before her England record Harvey composed her songs from the inside out. With England she got her impressions from the outside of her own country. And for the next album she went abroad in the world. A very poetic access to countries we know from the newspapers as poor or war zones. Harvey goes to all this places and in every place she finds spirit for the better. Only at Republican Party's in Washington the string of believe in the power of human beings breaks. It is a shocking final in a beautiful movie with beautiful music. And gosh, what a fantastic voice PJ has to work with. She is gifted. And she uses her gift with touching humility. Highly recommended.