The man, the myth, the legend. Memphis born, Memphis bred. Sorry, Justin Timberlake, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about Willis. Pardon my unintentional Different Strokes reference.
Memphis explores the life of Willis, a struggling African-American musician and his neighborhood in Memphis that shapes him. This film is gorgeously shot. Its kinetic scene transitions using soulful soundtracks in Willis' life are extremely effective. Its narrative structure could almost pass as a documentary"”filled with intriguing characters and well acted talking heads.
But the film is restless on purpose. Each scene is a fragment, a vignette. At first, you're piecing a puzzle together to find its true story, and that's when you learn... there's not much of one.
It's half ensemble piece, half character study with an unnecessary focus on minor characters. After a while, the shifty style that makes this film look cool turns it into a story that goes in circles.
We see a flawed man searching for meaning, and the story may not need to have an answer for that, but we still need to go on a journey. This story is just process, and I'm sad to write what could have been one of the best films at Sundance leaves you more empty than its protagonist's creative, dry-spelled mind.
