A Review of the Movie American Symphony
Mya Hidy | April 4, 2024
How does one live between celebration and grief and continue to make art in the face of it all?
The biographical documentary “American Symphony” was released in 2023 and directed by Matthew Heineman. This documentary follows the composer Jon Batiste and his wife, author Suleika Jaouad, for a year of their life.
The documentary starts with the announcement that Jon Batiste has been nominated for 11 Grammys, including Album of the Year for his album “We Are.” The audience then finds out that he will be performing the American Symphony at Carnegie Hall. Batiste brainstorms ideas for his American Symphony, where he gathers musicians of different music genres, races and cultural backgrounds and composes a piece celebrating diversity and coexistence in America.
The biopic then goes into Batiste’s background growing up in New Orleans surrounded by music. He then talks about his experience as a Black Southerner at Juilliard and the years following as he became known in the music world. Then he lands a job on The Late Show as band leader and speaks about what it means to feel like he's “made it.”
We then get an introduction to Suleika Jaouad as a cancer survivor, author and artist. We also get to see Jaouad and Batiste’s relationship, the love they have for each other and the life they have built together. We find out that Jaouad’s leukemia has returned and that she needs a second bone marrow transplant, which is very risky.
The film moves back and forth between showcasing Jaouad’s worsening health and Batiste’s thriving career as he prepares for the Grammys and his symphony.
Jaouad’s surgery is successful. Batiste performs at the Grammys and wins best album as Jaouad watches at home as she recovers. The movie ends with Batiste’s beautiful performance at Carnegie Hall.
As someone with no musical background and who does not enjoy classical music, I enjoyed watching this biopic greatly. This is a story about an artist's struggle to produce and perform his art in the face of fear, uncertainty and grief. The cinematography was beautiful and led to both heart-wrenching and breathtaking scenes.
My only critique is the overuse of close-ups on the face. All of this was filmed as it was happening, which makes everything that much more emotional, inspiring and thought-provoking. I certainly think you have to watch “American Symphony” to get the full scope of the emotional process this movie takes you through as you simultaneously celebrate and mourn for Batiste and Jaouad.