Review of Nashville (1975) by Aaron A — 26 Apr 2011

"I need something like this for my documentary. I need it. It's... It's America. Those cars smashing into each other... and all those mangled corpses...".

A mosaic about the people involved with the formation of a political rally and the events that lead up to the rally itself.

Nashville is a very hard movie to categorize and describe. If you have seen the film Crash released a few years ago, then that probably the best place to start. Nashville follows dozens of characters in the events leading up to a political rally. Overlapping dialogue and scattered/fragmented conversations that seam meaningless to a centered plot, effectively give this picture a chaotic feel. However, the conversations coupled with terrific naturalistic (almost ducomentary-like) acting always keeps the audience entertained and enthusiastic about what's next. The multiple character arches are so wonderfully handled that the inevitable conclusions to many of these character's mini-stories are remarkably powerful.

One thing that is absolutely clear about Nashville is that it has a political message to tell. Though because of the complexity of the picture and the director's refusal to give any expository information (the mark of true art) results in a film that indeed has something to say, but analysis and repeat viewings are required to understand exactly what.

Though the film is so complex that repeat viewings are required to fully understand it, the outstanding direction, incredible acting, powerful script, and catchy country music make it an endeavor no movie lover should pass up.