Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

Dave Grohl was the drummer in a band. That band ended; its singer died and Grohl did not know what to do. He went into a studio alone and played every instrument himself; a recording came out of it and became a band's first album. The documentary starts there and tells sixteen years. The line up changes, members leave, a drummer goes and comes back. An album session is cancelled and made again. At one point the band comes close to breaking up. The film closes with the last album being recorded in Grohl's garage. James Moll directs. Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett speak in it. The documentary won the Grammy for best long form music production. Its material comes largely from the band's own archive; home video and tour recordings are used. It does not hide the disagreements inside the band; the members who left also speak and give their side. The matter it treats is carrying on; the band comes to an end several times and changes shape each time. The recording processes are shown in detail; the decision to return to analogue is a section of its own. Its limit is position; the production was made with the band's approval and the critical distance is limited. Who it is for: viewers who like music documentary and listeners of the band. Who it is not for: it is long for anyone unfamiliar, the structure conventional, and the viewpoint partisan.