David Byrne's American Utopia

David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) is a concert documentary you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Spike Lee. It captures Byrne's Broadway run at the Shubert Theatre in 2019 — a show built around his solo album American Utopia and a generous pull of Talking Heads material.

Twelve musicians, all in grey suits, all barefoot, all carrying their own instruments. No stands, no cables fixed to the floor — the ensemble moves as a continuous choreography. Lee shot it with his usual eye for the kinetic, cutting between wide ensemble frames and tight close-ups without losing the live feeling.

The politics are present but never shouted. Byrne works in a cover of Janelle Monáe's "Hell You Talmbout" late in the show, and the image of a dozen people from different countries moving in unison does the arguing for him. Released in 2020, it hit differently than the Broadway audience could have anticipated. Stream David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) online on iFILM.