Historically, there’s a pretty strong track record when it comes to directors primarily known for narrative filmmaking giving music documentaries a shot — Scorsese’s The Last Waltz and Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense both remain among the most compelling concert films ever made. So it’s not overly surprising that Judd Apatow and co-director Michael Bonfiglio have delivered a solid entry in the field with May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, an affectionate portrayal of a band at the height of its ascendancy to superstardom.
I’ve never been a fan of the Avetts’ particular brand of quasi-folk Americana, but after watching May It Last I’m definitely a fan of Scott and Seth Avett themselves. It’s difficult not to come away from this film liking the Concord, N.C.-raised brothers given their penchant for sincerity and aw-shucks humility. To the brothers’ credit, these qualities never seem to be contrived affectations, even if I harbor a sneaking suspicion that there’s a darker complexity underlying their filial bond that the film seems reluctant to probe. Still, it’s an endearing portrait of brotherhood that seems honest, if somewhat superficial.
The film follows the duo as they record the 2016 album “True Sadness,” which was rehearsed in Asheville before being recorded by producer Rick Rubin in Malibu, Calif. May It Last finds more focus in the moments of personal examination than performance, drawing most of its resonance from details like the band’s longtime bass player’s young daughter struggling with disability following a brain tumor or Seth Avett’s difficult divorce and burgeoning new relationship with actress Jennifer Carpenter. But the music is prominent as well, and fans will find the film’s insights into the brothers’ songwriting process as fascinating as their live act.
May It Last certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the rockumentary subgenre, but it doesn’t really need to — its subjects are likable enough to sustain the picture without any revelatory stylistic or formal flourishes. The film can seem workmanlike at times, probably a result of Bonfiglio’s background in TV documentaries, and it takes an inordinately long time for the band outside of Seth and Scott to be introduced. But it’s effective in humanizing the Avetts and depicting something genuinely rare — a successful pop music act that seems to be composed of decent human beings.
The title’s use of the term “portrait” is apt, as May It Last can occasionally feel like a biopic as much as a music doc. What sets the film apart from others of its ilk is the emphasis it places on family, both biological and adoptive, a concept that seems to drive much of what the Avetts are exploring in their music. If both the message and the music prove a bit too saccharine for my tastes, I can’t deny that this doc left me significantly more inclined to appreciate The Avett Brothers. Fervent fans will undoubtedly be pleased. Not Rated.
Now Playing at Fine Arts Theatre.
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