Exposing the isolation, mental health struggles, and imposter syndrome that can often come with universal acclaim so early in one’s career, Danny Cohen’s insular and gorgeously shot 16mm doc “Anonymous Club” burrows into singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett’s anxiety with striking clarity. Told across four chapters and roughly covering a few years in Barnett’s life — from her “Tell Me How You Really Feel” tour to early forays into writing her most recent “Things Take Time, Take Time” — “Anonymous Club” allows the reclusive artist to open up in intimate detail.
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A friend of Barnett and music video director, Cohen organizes the film around Barnett’s dictaphone recordings — made at his behest — in which she talks about her mounting anxiety as she begins her first major worldwide tour. As we bounce around from Dallas to Niagara Falls to Oslo and other places, Barnett struggles to balance her energetic onstage persona with her more reserved offstage one, which often comes out in interviews. Aware of her limitations when describing the process or meaning behind her songs, the film hones in on the fatigue that sets in as she is forced to toggle between the two versions of herself.
While brief context is given to Barnett’s rise, describing her critical acclaim that her early EPs received, as well as the formation of her own record label, Milk! Records, “Anonymous Club” is more observational, lingering on Barnett’s tour bus or during her interactions with fans. While snippets of songs are heard, especially when she is working on her new album, Cohen shies away from showing much concert footage.
By eschewing the trappings of a traditional rock documentary, “Anonymous Club” is more grounded in Barnett’s personal experience, for better and worse. We are given a sense of the drudgery that comes with a hectic tour schedule and the overwhelming nature of being asked to explain her incredibly personal songs over and over again by interviewers looking for sound bites. But the film is also very much not for the uninitiated — those who don’t know Barnett or can’t sing the lyrics to, say, “Avant Gardener” or “Nameless, Faceless.”
In her voice-over and interactions with fans, band members, etc. Barnett comes across as personable but also a bit uncomfortable with it all. At times, the film mirrors this discomfort, as it lingers on Barnett as she works through lyrics, trying to remember what lines came from what song or tries to psyche herself up for shows.
Shot by Cohen, the film’s grainy texture mirrors the intimacy that Barnett brings, but the singer — outside of her professional struggles — still remains an enigma by the end. Who she is outside of her music is, sometimes frustratingly, pushed into the periphery. This makes “Anonymous Club” a paradoxically personal film that never dives into the specifics of her life.
But, at a compact 83 minutes, the film works well just hanging out with Barnett, and observing how she goes about her days, writes music, and prepares for shows. As a showcase of her creative process, as well as a dive into the repetition of touring, it’s a loving tribute to the artist and an invitation to listen to more of her music. [B]
