Courtney Howard // Film Critic
Not Rated, 55 minutes
MILEY CYRUS: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
Directed by: Miley Cyrus,Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter
Starring: Miley Cyrus, Naomi Campbell, Britany Howard, Maxx Morando
The cacophony of a roaring motorcycle engine. The majestic bassy bliss of Flea’s guitar licks. And supermodel Naomi Campbell delivering a monologue akin to Vincent Price’s in “Thriller.” All these fabulous, disparate sounds coexist together in one singular visual album, MILEY CYRUS: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL. The raspy-voiced, Grammy-winning, multi-faceted superstar, along with her co-directors Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter, guides us on a two act journey where music and imagery are fused in glorious chorus. The film, accompanying her album of the same name, spotlights a dynamic woman in total control of her artistry and career trajectory, transforming from a prickly, defiant rocker to a rapturous chanteuse enveloped by the warm glow of our attention.
Our adventure of sight and sound begins on the album’s prelude, where Cyrus’ fuzzily distorted voice pours out of the speakers, prepping us for the ephemeral nature of this long-form piece. Where the feature feels alive in its own unique body is in the space between the ambient white noise of these dreamy interlude soundscapes (conceptualized by Sean Everett, Ian Gold and Piece Eatah) and the notes of the songs that precede and follow. She and her collaborators combine harmonious melodies, toe-tapping beats and soaring symphonics that conjoin with the sounds of natural elements to create her visionary fantasia and radical artistic statement.
Cyrus’ tracks, in concert with the visual psychedelia on display (utilizing slow dissolves, soft-focus lenses, projected backgrounds and refracted imagery), bestow deep wells of emotions and beautiful aesthetic appeal. Her voice aches, wails and seduces us as much as her glamourous vintage couture dazzles and enchants fashionistas. Her emerald-green-fringed mini-dress in “End of the World” (a strong Song of the Summer contender and solid roller-skating anthem fit for Venice Beach). and the Robert Palmer-esque black-clad backup dancers in “Easy Lover/ Interlude 2” are highlights. Our gal also loves her a wind-machine, as exhibited in the explosive blast of the title track when the prog-rock inspired chorus goes to 11, as well as its use in the motor-biking mimicry of “Golden Burning Sun,” and in the stormy tornado of “Pretend You’re Good.”
As we travel through pristinely-composed vignettes, title cards in huge Charli XCX-ish fonts flash briefly on screen. Those with photo-sensitivities best be forewarned that some of the segments involve flashing lights for a prolonged period (particularly during the aforementioned “Pretend You’re Good”). Though Cyrus and co tend to favor minimalist production design as a beguiling contrast to the maximalist aural acrobatics, when they venture outdoors, it proves beneficial. It’s fun to see Cyrus strut in turquoise-feathered chaps across the Paramount backlot and writhe around on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star on Hollywood Boulevard in the dead of night.
In terms of get-out-of-your-seat-and-dance bangers (or in Cyrus’ case, “Bangerz”), there’s “Walk of Fame,” which plays like a riff on Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” with Brittany Howard providing a cameo, and the dark sexy swagger of “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved,” which has Campbell delivering a catwalk pas de deux with Cyrus. These are the high-concept, rousing crowd-pleasers, captured through cinematographer Benoît Debie’s lens. The ‘90s styled influence extends to a very C.K. One-influenced “Reborn,” shown as black and white pixelated TV footage of Cyrus and a hunky Maxx Morando.
While there’s less of a traditional narrative being spun and more of an experimental revelation to decipher, Cyrus crafts a cohesive collection that contains touchstones to her prior works and pieces she’s built on to become the confident performer she presents in this intimate masterclass. In an interview with Zane Lowe, she said that she intended to make “a concept album that’s an attempt to medicate a sick culture through music, hiding the healing in an entertaining work of art, bringing the divine into the day to day.” Only the future will tell if that’s what actually will happen with this album. At the very least, in our current tumultuous times, the plucky performer distracts us from our real world woes for a little under an hour, within the cloaked darkness of theater walls, in a flex of her toned muscles and spirited song.
Grade: A
MILEY CYRUS: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL played the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6. It debuts in theaters for one night only in the United States on June 12 and internationally on June 27.
