David Byrne’s American Utopia

Spike Lee directing David Byrne of Talking Heads? If you thought 2020 could no longer surprise you, you were wrong. David Byrne’s American Utopia is probably one of the best, one of the most American, and also one of the most peculiar movies you’ll ever see, although, contrary to appearances, it’s not just for fans of the band or its lead singer—or even for fans of Broadway musicals. It’s both a phenomenon and a marvel at the same time. It’s both a commentary on the current state of the world and its own original kind of TED talk interrupted by songs and choreographed numbers. Quotes from Baldwin and Janelle Monáe trickle lazily from the screen; Colin Kaepernick, Emmett Till, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are mentioned; the only thing missing is “Psycho Killer.” What’s most remarkable, however, is the restraint and respect with which Lee approaches Byrne’s scenography and vision—dominated by a gray asceticism and bare feet, where every flash of color (even on the performers’ eyelids) takes on the shape of a manifesto of the most important truths. As a headline in “Vanity Fair” reads, Spike Lee’s American Utopia shows David Byrne in Peak Electrifying Form.