While 2014 had it’s fair share of amazing films and music, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t exactly a classic year for either. Which is odd, because while both may have been lacking, the convergence between the two this year has been extraordinary.
Whether it was great original songs, stellar soundtracks, or in the stories themselves, music has been everywhere this year.
Most interesting this year has been the slew of films actually about music. While every year seems to bring along biopics or docs, this year has produced a host of films actually about music and it’s effects on interpersonal relationships. Films like We Are the Best and God Help the Girl acted as a celebration of the bonds created through music. These films explored the nature of relationships created on the foundation of a shared appreciation of music and how strong said foundation can be. Sometimes you bond with someone over the same fringe indie-pop band and have a relationship that lasts you a lifetime. While other films this year, like Frank, explored the limitations of this very same concept. A film that explores what happens when you find music may be the only thing you have in common with another.
Then there was Whiplash, arguably the year’s greatest film, an intense emotionally-charged rollercoaster of a film that shows how one can forego social relationships entirely out of sheer passion and determination to create music. The film explores just how much one is willing to compromise in their life to create art and gives their audience no answer on if it’s worth it.
In 2014, music became more than just a stylistic accessory to films, it explored the warmth and damage, the sheer force it’s capable of. In 2014, film began communicating with music on a deeper level than in any recent memory. 2014 was a classic year for the convergence of art.