i saw the premier of the film in the cinema,as a kings of leon fan i was really excited to see it.first off,surely by now everyone knows who they are right? The backbone of the film is based around their annual week-long family reunion in Talihina, Oklahoma. This underlines the parallel throughout the film of the stark contrast between their childhood to their current rock-star status. As this film opens at the reunion you are initially introduced to a multitude of their extended family from cousins and uncles to their Grandfather, and namesake of the band, Leon. with intimate childhood footage to present day filming of life on the road,laughs,arguments and interviews with the locals
The ending of the film combines the two scenes which are by far the strongest moments in the film, an extremely open and insightful interview with Caleb and the band playing the song 'talihina sky' acoustically. The interview is raw and messy, with an extremely honest late night conversation in which Caleb opens up to his experience of confusion with his past, to getting past the rebellion of leaving that world and now finding some resolution between the two. Throughout the film, beyond the comparison between past and present, the other extreme seems to be the attitude of the family remaining as humble as they have always been despite the enormous success of the younger family members, and the morphed rock star attitudes that the band seem to often adopt. This final scene brings both together and the honesty of Caleb's interview, combined with the stripped down performance brings the film full circle to a place in which you feel the real theme of the film, which seems to be the conflict of a life of two extremes and how to find a way to handle both.i thoroughly enjoyed the film and having a rare peek into the lives of the band and there family,a must see for all music fans
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