Documentary films about a famous musical figure, be it a soloist, a band or a musician, always arouse curiosity, especially when the protagonist of the film appears on the screen. Recently, titles have been seen that have allowed the public to learn more about the life and work of, for example, the Sparks in “The Spark Brothers”, directed by Edgar Wright, or Julien Temple, an experienced music documentary director, who he played the decline of rocker Shane MacGowan in “Crock of Gold”. In a different line ‘A-ha: The Movie’ is now out, with which the three members of the pop-rock group do a kind of retrospective and settle the unfinished business.
Directed by Aslaugh Holm and Thomas Robsahm, the documentary is a comprehensive overview of the band, from its beginnings in Norway to its consolidation as an icon of the 80s, with legendary songs such as “Take On Me” or “The Sun Always Shine on TV”without forgetting how in the 90s their fame began to decline and how they knew how to get up and be one of the nostalgic groups that is still able to fill the stadiums. The value of the film is that it approaches A-ha’s life from an artistic, informative and personal perspective. Combination that, with the traditional ingredients of the music documentary, allows us to offer a fairly complete profile of both A-ha and its three members: Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Paul Waaktaar-Savoia.
And it is a positive aspect that should be highlighted, given that in various current music documentaries, especially those intended for television, the most important aspect for which these productions are made is usually overlooked: the artistic path of the protagonist or protagonists. In this proposal it is interesting to see how three Norwegian boys dreamed of becoming rock starsin a country where – until then – no one had managed to make an international career. Those dreams turn into nightmares after the success of “Take On Me”from their debut album “Hunting High and Low”.
‘Take On Me’ is the unofficial anthem of the 80s, the one that distinguished them as a Soft Cell-style boyband. It is interesting to see how the youth and desire to stand out of the three ended up turning them into a product of record companies. Equally fascinating is how the band struggled to find its identity on subsequent studio albums to become one of the seminal pop-rock bands of the 1980s and early 1990s. While it mainly focuses on its musical facet, another aspect that stands out from the documentary is that it also helps its protagonists settle their unfinished business.
A musical legacy that goes beyond ‘Take On Me’
Here we see how Magne, Morten and Paul live a constant battle of egos, which has been the cause of the different separations that the group has had. While it seems like a heap of complaints, the film portrays the relationship of the three in a way similar to a marriage that has been known for several decades, only to three. It can be seen that they have mutual respect and admiration for each other, but their professional relationship, something they discuss in front of the cameras, was not born out of a teenage friendship, but was rather a pragmatic arrangement which has become a friendship, a fundamental element that allows us to understand why they have been able to meet several times.
The film cunningly fails to delve into the personal lives of the three, leaving a fascinating musical experience, which allows you to see the group behind the scenes. Despite living a constant ‘with you but without you’, the group seems to resist the final separation. It’s more, this same 2022 will be when he releases his 11th studio album, as well as resuming the tour they had to stop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A demonstration that, at least for now, it does not seem that rivalries and personal quarrels have ended up separating the band forever.
‘A-ha: The Movie’ knows how to pay homage to the legacy of a band that, despite their contributions to music, has remained discreetly in the background. A documentary that also serves to learn more about three artists and their egos and how they were the ones who ended up forging the group’s destiny. A fascinating proposal that, thanks to its balance, offers an accurate portrait of one of the most emblematic gangs of the 1980s.
Note: 8
The best: It breaks the prejudice that exists about the band, since it is much more than the apparent One-hit wonder.
Worse: As they are releasing a new album, their ending is a bit dated.
Source: E Cartelera
