Poser debut digital3/25/2023 ![]() But as most of us listen to music by shuffling playlists with the tap of a screen, is album artwork still a significant part of the listening experience?Ĭovers are, unfortunately, no longer an essential feature of albums Album artwork can convey a sense of what’s to come before we even press play. Currently gracing my walls are an ABBA greatest hits collection and an extremely sun-damaged copy of Shura’s debut, Nothing’s Real. I am (sadly) one of those people who buy vinyl – despite not owning a record player – to display the artwork around my bedroom. But is the same true for albums? Tilly Attrill examines their meaning and importance within the industry, from vinyl to digital. While the story beats may not be surprising, “Poser” still acts as an impressive debut for not only the directors but also Mix and Kitten, who create a simmering tension between them.We’ve all heard of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Such a singular narrative focus works well to mimic Lennon’s own personality, while also showcasing an impressive idiosyncratic approach. While her personality is limited to reflecting what those around her care about, she also seemingly comes into her own by discovering, and copying, Kitten. While we are teasingly given some exposition about her relationship with her mother, Lennon is almost entirely left alone to navigate the world. The film also makes the wise decision to only hint at Lennon’s backstory. Just as she uses them to find an identity, they use her - and her microphone - to feel like they are creating important work and that people outside of their small collective care and are paying attention. But, no one seems to know, or really care, that Lennon’s podcast is never released. Of course, the musicians and artists love to be interviewed by Lennon, talking about their grand ambitions for their music, poetry, or art. Her podcast resembles any number of lo-fi experiments, as she dryly recounts the history of the Columbus music scene with the voice and seriousness of Sarah Koening. This lends the film a type of lived-in texture, as performers intermingle with real musicians.įurther, for a film that steadily builds a creeping sense of dread as Lennon further turns into Kitten’s doppelgänger, Dixon and Segev don’t just hone in on one tone, but they allow the humor of Lennon’s banal existence to peek through. While the Kitten that we see onscreen is, of course, fictionalized, the gap between what is staged and not is always a bit out of reach for the viewer. While the script, by co-writer Dixon, isn’t exactly revelatory in its exploration of how art - whether it be performed or embodied - inspires imitators, “Poser” nevertheless has a rich sense of place. Lennon slowly begins to copy Bobbi’s eccentricities until, well, you can probably figure out what happens next. Infatuated with frontwoman Bobbi Kitten’s cool aesthetic - her pink hair, willingness to embrace avant-garde art forms, etc. Describing the Old North neighborhood as a modern-day Florence, another hint at pretension, she quickly becomes obsessed with an indie electronic band Damn the Witch Siren, a very real and good band playing themselves. Yet, Lennon also has the idea of starting a podcast, interviewing musicians as a way into the cloistered artistic environment she’s fascinated with. Her semi-regular dinners with her more affluent sister Janie ( Rachel Keefe) and job as a waitress round out her mundane existence. ![]() She puts these recordings to tape, preferring the analog sound to the digital files that she takes - perhaps our first hint that she is more about fitting into the indie aesthetic than believing in anything herself. Instead, she records conversations, ambient noise, and even music on her smartphone, getting a feel for the rhythms of human interaction, but always keeping herself at a distance. “Poser” begins with Lennon visiting an art gallery, and we quickly see her at various parties, but never really interacting with anyone. Organized around podcast episodes that Lennon ( Sylvie Mix) creates as a way to ingratiate herself within the Columbus, OH underground music scene, the film takes its title quite literally - playing up the awkward, and ultimately anxious interactions she has with indie musicians before trying to become one of them, creating some music of her own. Noah Dixon and Ori Segev’s “Poser” is a confident film that melds fact and fiction and fuses multiple genres together to create a tense, compelling and thorny exploration of the relationship between creators and their hangers-on. ![]()
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