For a director who tends to take years between films, Paul Thomas Anderson has been on a bit of tear. He’s recently directed two videos for Joanna Newsom — "Sapokanikan" and "Divers," the latter of which is getting a theatrical release — and last night he unveiled "Junun," his new documentary, at the New York Film Festival (read our review). And while you’re probably sitting at work today, waiting until you can get home to stream the film on Mubi, here’s a little clip to give you a taste of Anderson’s free-form approach.
READ MORE: Retrospective: The Films of Paul Thomas Anderson
To recap, the film runs just under an hour long and documents the recording session between Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, and the 15-plus members of the The Rajasthan Express in Northern India. The scene from the movie below, soundtracked to one of their songs, "Roked," is a great peek at the sonic and aural interplay Anderson has put together.
"It touched my heart so deeply," Tzur said. "It was at the time the deepest musical experience I had gone through. It moved me so that I could do nothing but go find out what it is. I feel I’m still in that spot. I don’t think I have achieved it. Indian music is so vast and so deep and the more I learn different things about it, I realize how ignorant I was. It just doesn’t stop."
So, to answer the question you are already asking, yes, an album is on the way. Nonesuch will release the Nigel Godrich-produced effort on CD and LP on November 13th. "Junun" is streaming exclusively on Mubi for the next 30 days. Check out the clip from the film below plus Anderson’s brief Q&A at NYFF (video via Cigarettes & Vine).