SXSW 2015: Capone is impressed with the manic visionary at the center of BRAND: A SECOND COMING!!!
Published at: March 19, 2015, 12:16 a.m. CST by Capone
Hey everyone. Capone in Austin, Texas for SXSW Film Festival.
Going into SXSW’s big opening night film BRAND: A SECOND COMING, I knew a great deal about the life and career of subject Russell Brand both prior to his Hollywood film career and, more recently, when he all but dropped out of the entertainment field completely after his FX show “Brand X” went off the air. Still, knowing as much as I did about the man, there are still many instances and revelations in BRAND that took me by surprise. In the section of the film that deals with what he’s up to right now, including his popular YouTube series “The Trews,” which deconstructs the media and news with a dangerously sharp scalpel, I was unaware that he had foregone acting and stand-up to pull all of his energy into this project.
BRAND traces the comedian/actor/activist’s life from childhood—with a loving mother and a shifty father—through his schooling, days of being a junkie, MTV personality in the UK, to his infamous job hosting the MTV Music Video Awards, during which he referred to George W. Bush as a “retarded cowboy.” There are as many examples of Brand self promoting in order to become more famous as there are instances when he is clearly sabotaging his career, and both practices are equally fascinating.
Director Ondi Timoner, who has a long history of profiled visionary men who are also perceived by some as mental (in such films as DIG!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, and COOL IT), immersed herself in Brand’s world for about two years, and for the most part he seems comfortable with her presence in his life. Timoner was the sixth director in as many years to take on the project, so not all of the footage used in the film was shot by her and her team, but the assembly of the material is fantastic, funny and provocative. BRAND covers some of the more obvious highlights of its subject’s life, including his brief marriage to Katy Perry, his legendary encounter with the morning team of MSNBC, and a collection of great moments from his one-man show Messiah Complex.
I struggled a bit to decide if I thought the film was too much of an ego-stroke to Brand, but while I think director Timoner certainly has an affection for her subject, there are just too many moments when he seems at odds with her continuing to film. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to shoot a film about a man who is used to walking in a room and owning it almost immediately, either because he turns on the charm or because he simply talks so fast and loud that no one else gets a word in edgewise. In the end, what comes through about Brand is how much of his humor is based on intelligence, wit and a mind that moves at about the same speed as a hummingbird’s wings.
What’s most distressing among BRAND’s revelations is the way Brand is chided (particularly in his homeland) for being so outspoken on income inequality, climate change, corporations, the government, and the mass media. The well-read gentleman genuinely seems like one of the few figures in popular entertainment that is qualified to discuss these subjects, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking (or thrilling) when he starts discussing the possibility of revolution in the UK. It may be difficult for some to take Brand seriously because of the way he dresses or frequently swears or because of his admitted addictions to drugs and sex, but it’s those same qualities that make him more identifiable to his legions of fans. The arguments that he has no right talking about poverty when he himself has so much money are covered a great deal in the film, but Timoner does a nice job balancing out the story of a spoiled actor with that of a man who is generous with his time and money.
The harder part for me to buy is that the clearly narcissistic Brand had any issues with being film or the resulting documentary. The fact that he cancelled his appearance at the SXSW premiere of the film at the last minute is something of a non-story; Brand did not attempt to have the film pulled or otherwise stop it from playing in Austin. In fact, in his statement explaining his absence from the festival, he praised Timoner’s artistry. He simply would have felt insanely uncomfortable watching this sometimes-troubling self examination play out, which is completely understand and believe.
But BRAND is no puff piece; it’s a hard, nervy look at a man who can stand up to such examination. It’s been asked many ways, but seeing BRAND makes me wonder, would we know a savior today if he dropped down in our midst? I’m not saying that Russell Brand is that guy, but if he were and he arrived in the typical Brand package, would we listen? Watching the film reminds us how much of his on- and off-stage works is impressive and worthy of praise rather than derision. More importantly, I can’t wait to see where he goes next.
