[Tribeca 2023] SONGS ABOUT FUCKING -- How Do You Expose Someone Who Is Already Exposed?

Review by Sean Boelman

Marc Rebillet is known for his quirky persona, and James Gallagher’s music documentary Songs About Fucking attempts to peel back the curtain on the man behind it. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot more than has already been told, and while this documentary has plenty of potential, it only shines when it focuses on its subject’s performances.

The film follows improvisational musician Marc Rebillet as he embarks on what becomes one of the first live music tours after the COVID-19 lockdown. Although this is very much told like a typical touring musician documentary, it clearly wants to be a more profound commentary on the state of creativity in such challenging times.

One of the things that earned Rebillet such a large fanbase — and helped it grow so much during his lockdown live streams — was his optimism. Rebillet did what he did to provide people across the world with a bit of enjoyment and relief from the anxieties of their daily lives. This documentary sets out to spread the same positivity, although it arguably comes a bit later than it should have.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie is that Rebillet’s personality is not necessarily the best fit for a “revealing” behind-the-scenes documentary like this. Fans of Rebillet will know that his whole persona is about him being vulnerable and exposed — he goes on stage in a robe and his underwear, after all. This begs the question… how do you reveal more in a film about someone who already bares it all? Unfortunately, Gallagher does not succeed in doing so.

Another issue with Gallagher’s approach is that the movie’s sometimes weak editing leaves a lot of negative space. Although a majority of the footage takes up the entire screen, some of the home videos and live streams only occupy a small square in the center of the frame. Although this seems to be a purposeful aesthetic choice, it’s often frustrating.

That being said, the film’s performance footage is absolutely amazing. Of course, the footage will be even more impressive to viewers who are fans of Rebillet’s work, but it does a good enough job of capturing its unique charm. Gallagher’s camera is also stunningly fluid, perfectly encapsulating the energy of one of his performances.

As one would expect, the movie contains plenty of great music by Rebillet in its soundtrack — both in the performances themselves and used in the background over other footage. Although fans will recognize some of his more well-known songs, the unique, improvised nature of his performance means they will also be treated to some they have never heard before.

For those who are fans of the musician, Songs About Fucking will be somewhat disappointing because it lacks the deeper insight that a music documentary like this would need to succeed. Still, the quality — and abundance — of performance footage makes this worth watching.

Songs About Fucking screens at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 7-18 in NYC and June 19 through July 2 online.

​Rating: 3/5