Synopsis
On March 27, 2021, Godspeed You! Black Emperor invited fans to a virtual album event, officially presenting its concert film projections for the first time in the band’s 25-year history. GY!BE filmmakers/projectionists Karl Lemieux and Philippe Leonard set up their six 16 mm analog projectors in an empty Cinema Imperial, in Montréal, spooling dozens of film loops and short reels for a hallmark Godspeed concert experience, set to the band’s new recording.
A word from Tënk
In At State’s End!, Philippe Leonard and Karl Lemieux illustrate the sometimes apocalyptic, sometimes exhilarating music of the post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor through their live film manipulations. In an empty concert hall, the filmmakers recreate the projections that typically accompany the performances of the instrumental Montreal band.
Designed for the release of the album G_d's Pee at State's End! (2021) during the height of the pandemic, their work often leans towards abstraction, reflecting the more ambient side of the band’s music, where abrasive or soaring electric guitars coexist with string instruments. However, the film also includes more concrete images, such as those of the Van Horne Warehouse or the cross on Mount Royal, which are iconic visual landmarks of Montreal.
The intoxicating crescendo of the track Cliffs Gaze is accompanied by images of riots and protests, a reminder that Godspeed You! Black Emperor is, in its own way, a revolutionary band. As a finale, the filmmakers leave us with almost soothing images. Flowers and leaves swept by the wind, landscapes, and skies passing in time-lapse embrace the elegiac beauty of the string arrangement in the final piece of G_d's Pee. It’s a wide range of emotions that one experiences while listening to the album of the legendary band and watching At State’s End.
Jean-Philippe Desrochers
Critic
