Junun (film)
{{Short description|2015 documentary}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Junun
| image = Junun poster.png
| director = Paul Thomas Anderson
| studio = Ghoulardi Film Company{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/junun/id1059186593|title=Junun on iTunes|publisher=Apple|access-date=2021-04-17}}
| music = Shye Ben Tzur
Jonny Greenwood
The Rajasthan Express
| editing = Andy Jurgensen
| released = {{Film date|2015|10|08|New York Film Festival|2015|10|09|streaming}}
| country = United States
| runtime = 54 minutes
| distributor = MUBI
Amazon Prime Video
iTunes Store
}}
Junun is a 2015 documentary film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It documents the making of the album Junun in Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, by Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, English composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Indian ensemble the Rajasthan Express, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
Junun premièred at the 2015 New York Film Festival and was released on the MUBI film streaming service on October 9, 2015 and on iTunes on November 20, 2015. It received generally favorable reviews.{{cite web|title=Junun|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/junun|website=Metacritic|publisher=}}
Production and release
Junun was filmed at the Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India. Much of the documentary crew's professional camera equipment was held by customs, forcing them to shoot entirely with carry-on consumer-grade digital cameras and rental equipment from India.{{Cite web|title = Junun - Interview with Paul Thomas Anderson (post-screening) - NYFF 2015 global premiere|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncx3q2_sAFE|website = www.youtube.com|accessdate = 2015-12-01}} Anderson used Godrich's drone to capture aerial footage of the fort.{{Cite web|author=Dowd, AA|date=2015-10-09|title=Junun is a lean and loose rock doc from Paul Thomas Anderson|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/junun-lean-and-loose-rock-doc-paul-thomas-anderson-226609|website=www.avclub.com|accessdate=2015-10-12}} Production was secretive and the film was announced two months before its release.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/secret-new-documentary-directed-by-paul-thomas-anderson-more-added-to-new-york-film-festival-line-up-20150821|title=Secret New Documentary Directed By Paul Thomas Anderson, More Added To New York Film Festival Line Up|last1=Lyttelton|first1=Oliver|website=The Playlist|publisher=Indiewire|accessdate=9 February 2016}}
Junun premiered at the New York Film Festival. It was released on video on demand through the MUBI film streaming service on October 9, 2015 and on iTunes on November 20.{{Cite web|title = 'Junun': NYFF Review|url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/paul-thomas-andersons-junun-nyff-830826|website = The Hollywood Reporter|publisher = |accessdate = 2015-10-09}}
Reception
File:Mehrangarh Fort.jpg in Jodhpur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, where Junun was filmed]]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Junun has a 100% approval rating based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9 out of 10.{{Citation|title=Junun|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/junun_2015/|work=Rotten Tomatoes|language=en|access-date=2018-07-11}} On Metacritic, it has a rating of 78 out of 100 based on six reviews.
IndieWire gave Junun a grade of B+ and wrote that it "offers no clear-eyed statement on its subject, but develops an enveloping internal logic about the thrill of artistic innovation."{{Cite web|author=Kohn, Eric|date=2015-10-08|title=NYFF Review: Paul Thomas Anderson is Trying Something Different With 'Junun'|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/nyff-review-paul-thomas-anderson-is-trying-something-different-with-junun-20151008|website=Indiewire|accessdate=2015-10-09}} Variety wrote that "Anderson’s aesthetics unobtrusively capture the magic of Greenwood and company’s global partnership. It’s a reverent tribute, and one that articulates its underlying themes in subtle, piercing snapshots."{{Cite web|author=Schager, Nick|date=2015-10-08|title=Film Review: 'Junun'|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/junun-film-review-1201613807/|website=Variety|language=en|accessdate=2015-10-09}}
The Hollywood Reporter described it as "a transporting film that places us right there in the room, living and breathing a singular artistic experience. Trying to remain still in your seat is futile." A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of B and wrote: "Junun may be a minor work from a major director, but it provides plenty of bounce in the step and candy for the ears. It’s hard to ask much more of a music movie."
The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, writing: "Given how fruitful and fascinating the collaboration has been between Anderson and Greenwood ... this returned favour is a little disappointing. Anderson has brought much less personality and invention to this project than Greenwood gave to [Anderson's] movies."{{Cite web|title = Junun review – Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood rock Rajasthan|url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/09/junun-review-paul-thomas-anderson-and-jonny-greenwood-rock-rajasthan|website = the Guardian|accessdate = 2015-10-11|first = Leslie|last = Felperin|date=2015-10-09}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|4995590}}
{{Paul Thomas Anderson}}
{{Jonny Greenwood}}
Category:2015 independent films
Category:2015 documentary films
Category:American independent films
Category:Films shot in Rajasthan
Category:American musical documentary films