This compelling documentary about Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett explores how an individual so private could live such a public life.
Courtney Barnett is no longer an Australian secret. Her solo debut, 2015’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, was an international critical and commercial success, and went on to win a slew of awards. But as this documentary, made by close friend and filmmaker Danny Cohen, shows, there is a stark contrast between the performer who plays to thousands and the private individual.
Culled from over 30 hours of footage, Cohen’s documentary is both a riveting tour film and an intimate portrait of Barnett. Narrated by the singer, Anonymous Club is frank in grappling with the psychological and emotional impact of fame. And thanks to Barnett’s honesty, it steers clear of the trappings of many a music profile, instead aligning itself with Nick Cave’s recent documentaries in discussing personal issues with a refreshing frankness. A must-see for fans, its wider appeal lies in finding a way, at a time when narcissism dominates many a self-confessional portrait, to be intimate without navel gazing.
