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Dir. Danny Cohen, Documentary, 15 Cert, 86 mins
The antithesis of a rock biography, Anonymous Club paints a raw and intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter, Courtney Barnett, an anti-influencer who is a powerful voice for our times, a recluse acclaimed by audiences the world over and a strong female artist in conflict with herself. The feature documentary project was initiated in 2018 by Danny Cohen, who has been collaborating for many years with the Brit and Grammy-nominated artist, Courtney Barnett, on her award-winning and highly imaginative music videos. Danny spent three years on tour in Europe, the US and Asia and at home in Melbourne filming with Barnett as a one-man crew, shooting on a 16mm camera, customised to record sync sound. In tandem with filming, at the suggestion of Danny, the notoriously guarded Courtney Barnett kept an audio diary on an analogue Dictaphone. These unmediated reflections capture Courtney’s internal struggles – from her own confidence and self-perfection, to the pressures of fame, to understanding her place in music and as an artist navigating the world around her.
★★★★ The Guardian “A deeply intimate portrait of creativity and anxiety”
★★★★ Total Film “The connection with her audience feels pure: you’re left wanting to join the club”
★★★★ MOJO “Inspirational inside-the-head account of Courtney Barnett’s progress circa 2018-21”
★★★★ NME “As a meditation on depression, anxiety and touring, Anonymous Club isn’t just valuable viewing for Barnett’s die-hard fans, though they will no doubt cherish this film which captures the artist at her most open, outside of her music”
★★★★ Director’s Club “One of the best films of 2022. Manages to capture what makes Courtney Barnett one of the all-time great songwriters and what it means to be imperfectly human, vulnerable and attuned”
★★★ Observer “Intimate and insightful…, bruisingly candid”