The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, April 12, 2019 — 5
I don’t typically keep a
running Best Picture tally
throughout the year, but I
will be quite disappointed
if “Transit” does not get at
least
a
nomination
in
Feb.
of
2020.
Taking
place in modern France,
“Transit”
superimposes
a Nazi occupation on a
contemporary
setting
and follows the efforts
Georg (Franz Rogowski,
“Victoria”)
makes
to
escape. “Transit” takes its
title in part from the extra
documents required when
migrating internationally
with
stops
in
other
countries.
They
are
a
coveted
commodity
in
the film; it is much more
difficult to secure transits
than it is to secure a
destination
visa.
After
serendipitously stumbling
upon an opportunity to
assume a dead man’s identity,
Georg’s shot at freedom seems
straightforward: All he must
obtain are transits. His journey
is quickly complicated by a
widow and desperate child,
a heartbreaking love triangle
and a woman with two dogs.
Georg’s
epic
journey
is
important. Adapted from a
1944 novel by Anna Seghers,
the film retains a novel-like
narrative quality with third-
person voice over narration
and
intentional
re-use
of
certain locations throughout.
Director
Christian
Petzold
(“Phoenix”) also wrote the
adaptation of Seghers novel.
Petzold’s screenplay retains
the
timeless
emotions
of
displacement
and
remains
culturally relevant despite the
anachronistic
socio-political
setting.
“Transit”
investigates
freedom, and what it means
to be faithful to oneself. I
empathize
wholeheartedly
with Georg, taking shallow
breaths while sitting on the
edge of my seat. My heart ached
with his profound loneliness.
Palpable
uncertainty
calls
attention to the truth, always
hidden just out of view from the
viewer or from the characters
themselves. The film looks
into the nature of “home” as
defined
by
people,
places,
and safety. Georg’s fate is left
to the viewer’s imagination,
a
poignant
reflection
on
existence in a transient state.
Visually,
cinematographer
Hans Fromm (“Yella”) takes
advantage of the widescreen
format
with
gorgeous,
expansive shots of pastoral
French
landscapes
seen
from a speeding train. Other
train-shots
are
composed
like a still-life painting: Two
men in a stark white room
accompanied only by cheese
and paper. The tensely calm
beauty of Marseille is
rendered with clarity
throughout the film,
making
the
final
moments doubly gut-
wrenching.
“Transit”
reminds
us
the
costs
of
compassion,
the
double-edged
sword
of shameful silence,
and
the
existential
weight of solitude. One
particularly
literary
line, “ports are places
where
stories
are
told,” offers a neat
summary of the film
and
its
characters.
“Transit” sees people
converging in unlikely
circumstances;
each
day some stories are told as
other stories are being written.
While I haven’t read Segher’s
novel,
“Transit”
retains
a
literary quality and cadence.
Embracing
film’s
unique
beauties without abandoning
literature’s
nuanced
sentimentality, Petzold holds
onto the gentleness. Opening
the door for political questions
and rumination on identity
and the concept of home,
the instant classic does not
sacrifice immediacy. I intend
to read the original book soon,
and I’ll certainly be adding
“Transit” to my repertoire of
favorites.
Faithful ‘Transit’ is stellar
FILM REVIEW
ROSS ORGIEFSKY
Daily Arts Writer
Transit
Michigan Theater
Schramm Film
Between
adolescence
and
adulthood,
there’s
a
hazy,
underappreciated threshold. Your early twenties are fast and
ruthless, messy as your fight for control ends in the merciless
reality of independence. Friendships end, love is lost and you fail
to recognize yourself as the people you surround yourself with
change. A sense of respite only creeps up in bursts of confidence
and assurance during this period of fear, unconventionality and
uncertainty as your identity prevails in all the ways you wouldn’t
expect it to.
This is the story of Khalid’s career. His success with debut
album American Teen won over pop culture when he had barely
graduated high school. In his lovely, leathery voice, he
conveyed the trials and triumphs of high school without
sparing a single detail. From tales of booze-infused
nights that went too far to heartaches that went too
deep, his songs reached fans with and without driver’s
licenses alike. It was an album that fit a distinct, special
experience but was contained within a specific period
of time — references to cell phone pictures, car ride
apps and GPS navigation painted the scene that enabled
or crushed the connections Khalid made with other
people. It was a loneliness that only made sense if it was
a loneliness that you experienced, and this specificity
made it such a hallmark to teen music.
It’s been two years since, and our American teen has grown.
His life has extended beyond the membrane of a high school
existence into one of fame and independence. This proved to
influence his sophomore album Free Spirit, as it echoes the
sentiment that the teenage struggle of finding yourself never
truly ends, regardless of a contextual shift into early adulthood.
He puts it simply in an interview with Billboard saying, “this
album is the culmination of all of the growth and experiences I
have gathered over the past two remarkable years.”
In Free Spirit, these stories are carried by ’80s synths and
sticky, euphoric grooves. It’s a background you can move
to, but with a lot more variety this time around; the sound is
effortlessly R&B with glimmers of classic rock and a surprisingly
gorgeous guest appearance by John Mayer on guitar. The raw
elements that made American Teen so memorable remain in tact,
though they’ve matured. Rather than bemoaning the end of a
relationship, he reflects on the nature of its failure in title track
“Free Spirit,” crooning, “I’ve been lovin’ more, livin’ less / Off of
highs and lows, so obsessed / Couldn’t get nothing / But we’re
never runnin’ out.” Through these lines he marks his growth,
eschewing any trepidation of judgement for his experiences.
Similarly, Khalid explores aspects of early adulthood in
themes we gloss over. With the image of party culture so
ingrained in the college-aged experience, we neglect the
vulnerability and escapism that accompany it. Khalid follows
just this in “Paradise,” as he details getting high to cope with
not “liking watchin’ your mama cry / You say you’d rather die /
She says you’re wastin’ your life.” It’s anxiety-inducing, fearful
and a bit nihilistic, but he follows this immediately with hopeful
proclamations in “Hundred.” He explores the theme in every
sense from having “a hundred friends,” experiencing
a feeling for “a hundred days” and having “a hundred
things to do,” but ensures us that it is all worth it when
you keep it “a hundred” and “dust yourself off.” Other
highlights include “Twenty One,” a song that’s exactly
what you’d expect it to be about, and the funky love
anthem “Outta my Head,” featuring the addictive bass
stylings of John Mayer.
Overall, Free Spirit proves to be the perfect, timeless
backdrop to early twenties and the slew of emotions
that accompany it. In unwavering confidence, Khalid
deftly conveys the insecurity and uncertainty that goes
into discovering yourself and trusting your gut.
Khalid’s ‘Free Spirit’ marks his artistic maturity
ALBUM REVIEW
DIANA YASSIN
Daily Arts Writer
Art has shown time and
time again that it cannot
only serve as a voice to the
speechless, but also as a form
of healing for the broken. The
Sexual
Assault
Prevention
and
Awareness
Center
(SAPAC)
recognizes
this,
and
through
their
event,
“rEVOLUTION:
Making Art for
Change,”
they
hope to not only
bring
attention
to local artists,
but
also
show
the
power
and
effectiveness
of
art of all mediums.
Hosted
by
SAPAC’s Survivor
Empowerment
and Ally Support
(SEAS)
team,
“rEVOLUTION”
is an annual event
hosted in Rackham Graduate
School that showcases the
artwork of both survivors
and allies in the community.
The
artwork
represents
a
variety of subject matters. In
an interview with The Daily,
LSA junior Jessica Hobbs and
LSA sophomore Matt Weiner
talked about their experience
organizing the event. Founded
in 2006, the event focuses on
promoting “art as a healing
process and sharing the stories
of survivors in a way that’s
more digestible and even more
intense
emotionally,”
said
Hobbs, the organizer of this
year’s “rEV.”
The event showcases a range
of artistic styles and pieces,
from
three-dimensional
hanging pieces, visual art of
all shapes and sizes, a few
poetry pieces, dance, audio-
video presentations and much
more. “It’s structure mostly
like a gallery event, but we do
have a mini-schedule for the
films and dance presentation,”
Hobbs said.
The event has around forty
different pieces on display,
which Weiner says is “enough
to show, but not too many as
to be overwhelming. We want
everyone to be able to see
everything.”
The
pieces
touch
on
a
variety of subject matters —
some lighthearted, and some
extremely personal — and the
gallery welcomes that. They
aim to create an environment
for all types of art. Weiner
discussed
the
selection
process, commenting on how
“There aren’t any specific
requirements (for an art piece),
per say … we’re just hoping to
allow artists to have a space
(for their art) to grow and heal
from their experiences rather
than make arguments.”
The two emphasized the
importance of the role of art in
the organization,
and
why
they
believe expression
through art can
be
an
integral
component
in
healing
and
empowering
survivors.
“It’s
a
really
easy
way
for
people
to connect with
something
that
isn’t
necessarily
a news headline
of
a
political
topic. Using art
as
a
medium
allows people to
interface
with
their
emotions
more
readily
than, say, interacting with a
headline,” Hobbs stated.
And more so, the experience
can be just as important for
the observer as well as the
artist. Weiner discussed how,
“It’s a two-fold experience.
It can be hard to verbalize
exactly what you’re thinking
on the artist’s side, however
on the viewer’s side, the art
can be very approachable and
digestible.” Gallery-goers may
resonate with a piece of visual
art and relate to the emotions
conveyed through it more so
than they would have with,
say, a piece of poetry.
SAPAC survivor showcase
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
RYAN COX
Daily Arts Writer
rEVOLUTION: Making
Art for Change
Apr. 14 @ 2-6 p.m.
Rackham Graduate School
Free
Darlingside has always been a bright spot on the face of modern folk
music. Starting out as a five-piece rock band out of Boston, Mass., the
group narrowed down to four members and grew their sound into the
stunning mix of influences and instrumentation that we hear today.
Composed of multi-instrumentalists Auyon Mukharji, Don Mitchell,
Dave Senft and Harris Paseltiner, the band has found a niche in the
folk music scene, although their work covers a broad array of musical
references and motifs. From their first studio record Pilot Machines,
released in 2012, the group has never been easy to pin down, and this
is the magic of their approach. They traverse sounds that stem from
traditional folk to electronic experimentation with ease, building
a colorful base from which they spin complex stories. Now touring
their 2018 album Extralife and a recently-released EP, Darlingside
has leaned into their multifaceted sound to create something new for
the future.
Extralife itself is a magnum opus for the group, a response both to
the times we live in and the realities of Trump-era America through
an ornate lens. Yet, making a pseudo-protest album was not always the
intention of Darlingside during the writing and recording process. I
spoke to band member Auyon Mukharji about this process and much
more in an interview this month, ahead of their performance this
weekend at Ann Arbor’s historic folk venue The Ark. “We don’t do a
lot of sort of like meta, big picture planning before we write a record,”
Mukharji explained in a phone call with The Daily, “It’s more of a
brain dump … for Extralife, at least, how we kind of evolved was to
everyone getting in on ground level.”
“A person might come in with a lyric, or with a tune, and then
everyone would have their favorite parts and work on them a little bit
and then it would be all ripped apart as a group,” Mukharji elaborated,
“It’s a very iterative process, so what we end up coming up with
versus the end drafts of those lyrics is the result of our headspace.”
On the origins of the album, the violinist explained that they came
from many places, some harder to divine than others: “We come
from a relatively similar place, we are very close friends and we’ve
lived out a van for so many years together,” Mukharji said. “There
are conversations we have, and concerns, and a lot of this was in the
lead-up to the 2016 election, so we didn’t have a sort of overarching
idea of what we wanted the record to be more than (the fact that) this
is what came out of our heads.”
In addition to Extralife, Darlingside released a new EP in February
titled Look Up and Fly Away, a combination of songs leftover from
the album’s writing process and some that had been around for
a while. Either way, the collection of six songs has a significantly
more uplifting tone than Extralife, serving as the yin to its yang in
a complementary duo. “Our record-writing process, in the gross
inefficiency of it, is that we start with 30 or so song ideas that we
have to whittle down to 12,” Mukharji laughed. “Then we do a little
bit of recording of all of them and then we’ll cut it down to 25,” he
continued, “then they’re around half-finished, so we end up with
bits and pieces of, kind of Frankensteined songs that are in different
levels of disrepair.”
But this doesn’t mean that everything included on the EP was
necessarily from Extralife, or that any song has a truly cemented
beginning in time. “So the first song ideas, some of the freshest
musical ideas, well some of the songs that made it on Extralife the
album had been kicking around for about a decade, from a while
back, some of them were ideas that came to us during the writing
process,” Mukharji explained. “So the (songs on the) EP are from a
similar variety, right, they’re a mix and match of different things that
we ended up playing with.”
“In the wake of press stuff and Spotify, we need to have a steadier
stream of music, and so not limiting ourselves to a full-length album
is something that we’re (used to),” he continued. “We enjoyed that
process with the last album we put out, after we released (our 2015
album) Birds Say, then we put out an EP called Whippoorwill, and it
went great, so we thought we’d try the same trick!” This approach has
worked well for Darlingside: In addition to providing more material
for excited fans, they are able to integrate new music into their tour
as they plan each performance. It’s a process that starts with the
highly-produced music they create in the studio and boils down to
a poignantly bare setup of the four around a microphone, weaving
together their respective voices and instruments in a sea of sound.
Darlingside on process, performance and folk magic
MUSIC INTERVIEW
CLARA SCOTT
Senior Arts Editor
Darlingside with Molly
Parden
Apr. 14 @ 7:30 p.m.
The Ark
$22
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Free Spirit
Khalid
RCA Records