Release Date: November 29, 2013 (Limited and VOD)
Director: Sini Anderson
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 7.5/10
Combining great interviews with intimate Cinéma vérité-style footage, Sini Anderson’s The Punk Singer provides a poignant look at the life and career of singer, songwriter, and activist Kathleen Hanna. The film is more than just a simple paint by numbers rock doc in that it delves just as deeply into the message behind Hanna’s music as it does her life.
Bikini Kill’s angsty, aggressive, feminist sound was one that nearly defined punk music in the early 90s. Bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Sleater-Kinney brought a message of gender equality to the masses with their hard-edged and emotionally driven lyrics. This movement, dubbed riotgrrrl, was spearheaded by Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill’s frontwoman.
Through interviews with friends, family members, and other musicians, The Punk Singer takes an in depth look at Hanna’s career from the early days of Bikini Kill, up until now with her latest band, The Julie Ruin. As with most rock n’ roll stories, Kathleen Hanna’s is one filled with many ups and downs, and the journey is fascinating, inspiring, and extremely entertaining. Coming in at just 80 minutes, one of the biggest issues with the film is that it will leave most wanting more.
The film is chock full of great archival footage, and photographs, which are great in and of themselves, but the really interesting stuff comes from the extensive conversations with Hanna herself. Despite the ironic valley girl accent, her insightful viewpoints and sharp wit command our attention in the best possible way. Her anecdotes alone about the inspiration for writing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or her first meeting husband Adam Horovitz (Adrock from The Beastie Boys) are enough to make this a recommend for any music fan.
More importantly than those things however, is the message behind the music, and in turn, the film. While it certainly covers aspects of her personal life, the film focuses more Hanna’s feminist ideals and the ways in which she inspired a generation of young women. It covers the backlash her and her band mates received over the years, with threats, slander, and even violence.
On the surface, The Punk Singer acts as a fan letter for those who grew up listening to Bikini Kill or Le Tigre. This is typical of any rock doc about a specific person or group, however what elevates this above the rest is the inspiring and insightful message the film provides. Rather than just read off a verbatim account of Kathleen Hanna’s life, it looks more deeply into what makes her tick, which results in a much more rewarding and entertaining documentary.
The Punk Singer will be opening at the IFC Center in New York, the Cinefamily in Los Angeles, and will be available nationwide on IFC Films on video-on-demand platforms November 29, 2013.
