>>REVIEW
AIR GUITAR NATION
DIRECTED BY Alexandra Lipsitz
Opens Friday, April 27
Uptown Screen
Sometimes it’s nice to pay a little attention to the things that we all have in common. I’m not talking about our general appearance, our basic genetic code, or our shared human experience. No, I’m talking about the fact that all of us, at one time or another, have played air guitar. Whether rocking out in the front row of a concert, or ironically mocking the guy in the front row of a concert, all of us have at some point lifted our hands to waist height and awkwardly pretended to be a rock god.
The people at the centre of Alexandra Lipsitz’s film Air Guitar Nation are no different. Except, perhaps, that they take themselves much more seriously. The film documents the competitive world of professional air guitarists, focusing on two people specifically – Dan "Bjorn Turoque" Crane and David "C-Diddy" Jung. The doc follows the two men from the regional finals in New York to the United States finals in L.A., before competing one last time at the world championships in Oulu, Finland.
Jung steps to the front as the film’s most likeable character, and the only one who seems within shouting distance of being well-balanced. In fairness, he’s the only person we really learn anything about outside the world of air guitar. He also seems to be the only person who doesn’t take the whole thing deathly seriously. Other competitors and some of the event organizers try to justify the sport of air guitar by claiming that it’s all about (yawn) "world peace" – after all, if you’re holding a fake guitar, you can’t very well hold a rifle, can you?
One of the film’s more interesting moments is the bizarre tension between the two Americans and the rest of the competitors in Finland. Exploring the anti-American sentiment among the mostly European entrants – especially in the context of such a light-hearted event – could be the subject of another documentary in itself. Lipsitz unfortunately glosses it over, but in doing so maintains focus.
Air Guitar Nation is an incredibly fun watch. Even though there’s a vague sense of ridiculousness about what’s going on, it’s hard not to be won over by the sincerity of the participants and the adoring crowds. Lipsitz should be commended for playing it straight, and not taking the opportunity to take cheap shots at these admittedly easy targets.
The world of air guitar championships isn’t for everyone, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that, when you’re rocking out to AC/DC in your bedroom, you’re not alone. |
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