David Byrne's American Utopia

Synopsis

Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne’s brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show, based on his recent album and tour of the same name. Deeply thoughtful and wildly exuberant, David Byrne’s theatrical concert American Utopia lit up Broadway with Byrne’s trademark mix of rhythm and ideas. Working with a vibrant new band and dancers, the former Talking Heads frontman turned his music into an antidote to America’s current divisions. Spike Lee’s latest joint brings all this joyous stagecraft to the screen in a vital call to connect with one another, to protest injustice, and, above all, to celebrate life. Calling on all of us to think, connect, engage, and dance, David Byrne’s American Utopia unites the brain and the backside, which may be exactly what we need right now.

Director Biography

Spike Lee was born in Atlanta and raised in Brooklyn. His debut feature, She’s Gotta Have It (86), won the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes. His many films include the features School Daze (88), Do the Right Thing (89), Jungle Fever (91), Malcolm X (92), Clockers (95), Bamboozled (00), 25th Hour (02), Inside Man (06), Miracle at St. Anna (08), Chi-Raq (15), BlacKkKlansman (18), and Da 5 Bloods (20), and the documentaries 4 Little Girls (97) and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (06). David Byrne’s American Utopia (20) is his latest work.