Danielson: A Family Movie
Encyclopedia
Danielson: A Family Movie is a 2006 documentary film
about the Christian indie pop
band Danielson. It was directed, filmed, produced, and edited by JL Aronson.
. For live performances, members of the band wear nurse uniforms to represent "the healing power of the Good News". As time passes, members of the band leave and return, as some go to college and get married. The film documents Danielson's lack of belonging in either the mainstream Christian music genre
, or the indie music genre. Included are interviews with Smith's parents and fans, sequences of animation, and information about Smith's background. Also included is documentation of Smith's mentoring of songwriter Sufjan Stevens
, most famous for his 2005 album, Illinois
.
The artwork for the film depicts Smith standing with a large tree costume on, with fruit hanging above. The fruit represents the fruit of the Holy Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".
said Smith has an "irritating squeak of a voice", and that his "comical incompetence wins him the adoration of adolescent misfits". Chicago Reader' s Monica Kendrick stated in her review that those who aren't fans of the band will dislike the "relative lack of dramatic tension". However, PopMatters
reviewer Jennifer Kelly responded positively to the film, saying "it brings us so squarely into Smith’s world". Kelly also found the music to be "remarkable", and that the film depicts "ideal Christianity". Kelly noted the fame achieved by Sufjan Stevens, and that the rest of the members of the band seem "genuinely, unconflictedly positive about their friend’s success". Review aggregator Metacritic
compiled six critic reviews of the film, and gave the film a 59/100 ("average").
The film won the audience award at the 2006 Chicago Underground Film Festival
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Christian indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band Danielson. It was directed, filmed, produced, and edited by JL Aronson.
Content
The film follows the life of Danielson leader, Daniel Smith, from the band's inception in 1993 to 2006. The band started with the creation of Smith's senior thesis project, which became their first album, A Prayer for Every HourA Prayer for Every Hour
A Prayer for Every Hour is the debut full length album from New Jersey indie rock band Danielson Famile.-Track listing:# "Nice Of Me"# "Feeling Tank"# "Ugly Tree"# "Like A Vacuum"# "Need A Beard"# "Pepcid 20mg"# "Birds"# "1,000 Push-ups"...
. For live performances, members of the band wear nurse uniforms to represent "the healing power of the Good News". As time passes, members of the band leave and return, as some go to college and get married. The film documents Danielson's lack of belonging in either the mainstream Christian music genre
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
, or the indie music genre. Included are interviews with Smith's parents and fans, sequences of animation, and information about Smith's background. Also included is documentation of Smith's mentoring of songwriter Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, most famous for his 2005 album, Illinois
Illinois (album)
Illinois is a 2005 concept album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens. His fifth studio album, Illinois features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois...
.
The artwork for the film depicts Smith standing with a large tree costume on, with fruit hanging above. The fruit represents the fruit of the Holy Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".
Reception
Danielson: A Family Movie received mixed reviews. New York Times reviewer Neil Genzlinger found himself "entranced" for a while, but ultimately found Smith to be "pretentious". Bill White of the Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
said Smith has an "irritating squeak of a voice", and that his "comical incompetence wins him the adoration of adolescent misfits". Chicago Reader
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
reviewer Jennifer Kelly responded positively to the film, saying "it brings us so squarely into Smith’s world". Kelly also found the music to be "remarkable", and that the film depicts "ideal Christianity". Kelly noted the fame achieved by Sufjan Stevens, and that the rest of the members of the band seem "genuinely, unconflictedly positive about their friend’s success". Review aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
compiled six critic reviews of the film, and gave the film a 59/100 ("average").
The film won the audience award at the 2006 Chicago Underground Film Festival
Chicago Underground Film Festival
Chicago Underground Film Festival, founded in 1994, occurs each spring at various venues in Chicago, Illinois in the USA.Over the last 18 years it has become one of the most respected festivals in the USA and is today well attended by critics and programers. The festival's stated goal is "to focus...
.