![‘Rebel Country’ Review: A Country Rebel With A Cause [Tribeca]](https://theplaylist.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
What defines country music in America today? The new doc “Rebel Country” seems, at first, singularly focused on this question, but the film quickly makes clear that it has much more on its mind to consider, such as what led country music to where it is today and the challenges that many singers in its space have faced. It is a film that doesn’t hold your hand to tell the hard truths about country music’s evolution and history. Country is laid bare here for all the problems the genre has had and the good found in places that are not to be forgotten. “Rebel Country” unflinchingly examines the roots and growth of country music from every possible sector and unveils, in the process, a needed and mostly inspirational documentary.
“Rebel Country” touches dozens of topics—race, class, poverty, gender, sexuality, the constant struggle between commerce and arts, and how much of it traces back to Nashville. And at points, it’s all a bit too fast and crammed in succession. What “Rebel Country” does well, however, is digging into the root of what makes people flock to the music. At its surface, that is continually the key. The rebellion is what makes country music what it is. “Rebel Country” connects this surface truth with the problems that have also been in and associated with country music, such as the frequent racism, sexism, homophobia, and the disavowing of being oneself in the space that has tainted this genre.
However, as the documentary makes clear, the future is in our hands, and we must make sure the past is not repeated and change itself is coming no matter what. “Rebel Country” is, quite simply, a warning call and a reminder that doesn’t just need to be seen but also needs to be heard by everyone. To make the country what it should be: a place for everyone. Everyone is an outlaw, as this documentary shows, and it is everyone’s responsibility to fix it into something more inclusive while respecting all those continuing to make change.
“Rebel Country” also beautifully illustrates the many cultures that make up the genre by exploring old and new artists, experts, and even relatives to speak on the constant influences and its history. This documentary doesn’t just examine country but also where it came from directly and how some of music’s most famous artists were not the first to do what they did. Directed by Francis Whately (“Five Years” and “Dolly Parton: Here I Am”), the doc showcases the voices and history that so many people have long ignored. It is shocking and horrifying how black people have been left out of the country’s narrative, and the racism still lingers.
While also speaking to its history, “Rebel Country” also powerfully encapsulates its modern-day issues and how, disturbingly, the past keeps repeating itself. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” gets the spotlight, too. The fact that “Old Town Road” was considered “not country enough” by some and even had to be called into “controversy” speaks to country’s unfair, bigoted, insular and non-inclusive ranks.
Still, the doc does hint at some change on the horizon, showing many contemporary country artists who lay bare in their songs and haven’t given up on themselves, including the influx of women and LGBTQ artists, who themselves are not always welcome in this conservative field.
Featuring appearances by Lainey Wilson, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Jelly Roll, Blanco Brown, Jake Blount, Rissi Palmer, Frank Ray, Brooke Eden, Sam Williams, BRELAND, and Lindsay E, “Rebel Country” sometimes loses itself in all it decides to cover. The doc also marginally suffers from a franticness that feels as though it is making sure the audience who is watching is permanently glued to the screen. In turn, it causes some plot points here, such as transitioning to different discussions—like the lack of diversity and the history of its musical segregation— to feel rushed and superficial.
In the beginning, singer Jelly Roll arrives at a prison and sings to a crowd of prisoners, almost ignited by a sense of rebellion and connection. Rather than relying on exposition, director Francis Whately boldly and wondrously shows the country music rather than following any simple and structured documentary style.
“Rebel Country” powerfully demonstrates how country music has been stuck in a problematic and toxic bubble, and now, a new generation is attempting to rewrite the rules, challenge the status quo, and change the culture itself. As this documentary shows, country music is not just one defined thing. It’s many things, many people of different cultures and lives, and, even more, the history and the many races and individuals that helped make country music what it is today, and that should, and will never, be forgotten. [B]