Our take
For the background singers featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, music is a vocation. It is not merely an occupation or a pastime; it is a way of life, a “higher calling,” as the legendary Lisa Fischer would say. For 90 minutes, director Morgan Neville superbly maps out the development of back-up singing in the US throughout the decades, exploring its deep connection with African-American culture and women’s history. It’s fun to finally put names and faces on the oohs and aahs we hear on records aplenty, but the film always finds its grounding on the singers’ own unique voices, where its true soul lies.
The story
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Elsewhere
"A warm and fitting tribute to talented singers."
— Sophie Monks Kaufman
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Gerald Cajayon is a writer and emerging film critic who contributes reviews and recommendations to A Good Movie to Watch. He has participated in the Sinalang Film Festival, exploring alternative modes of film spectatorship.
"The movie pays a long-overdue tribute to their glorious pipes, but also engages with the disconnection between talent and stardom, and while it isn't exactly an exposé of the music industry, infuriating details emerge."
— Amy Taubin