Kicking off the 'Sonic' strand of the BFI London Film Festival on Thursday 9th October, Björk Biophilia (live) is a showcase of the latest musical offering from the infamous singer-songwriter from Iceland.
Ever the innovator, Björk is famous for her exploration not just in music but throughout the creative arts. Her
latest studio album and accompanying tour 'Björk Biophilia’ was largely composed on ipads, computers and interactive apps,
and conceived as a multi-dimensional multimedia project. David Attenborough provides an interesting
introduction, his recognisable tones picking out the creative nexus of the human
voice, animals and technology as the underlying theme to Björk's latest brain cloud. As the filmed 'experience'/ concert begins, the
light shows combined with her ethereal vocals (which are seriously impressive
sounded out against an Icelandic all-female choir) make for a promising
experience. However, after the first
three songs, it becomes clear that this impressive experience becomes less so
to anyone other than an avid fan. Edited
to allow for long takes of Björk and her band projecting lengthy
chorus’ to the audience, the film lacks a real bite to make this truly watchable
for the masses. You can’t help but wish that you were at the actual concert, as
there is an undeniable element missing which makes the cinema-viewing more
painful than anything else.