Junun

Paul Thomas Anderson's first documentary, running fifty-four minutes, which is shorter than the double album it records. In spring 2015 Anderson went to Rajasthan with his close friend and collaborator Jonny Greenwood and the Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur. The recording took place inside the fifteenth-century Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Greenwood, Ben Tzur, producer Nigel Godrich and an ensemble called the Rajasthan Express try to fuse Indian, Israeli and western music in one room. There is no narrative and almost no interview. Anderson mostly shoots handheld, occasionally uses a drone, and leaves the pigeons in the room audible on the recording. The word junun means the madness of love. It premiered worldwide on MUBI on 9 October 2015, the day after its New York Film Festival screening. Who it is for: viewers who enjoy watching music being assembled, in the messy space between rehearsal and take. Who it is not for: anyone wanting structure. The film has no agenda, introduces nobody, and resembles a long recording session more than a documentary.