The Punk Singer
Director: Sini Anderson
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 2.0
Back-patting chronicle of feminist musician Kathleen Hanna's life, her starting two seminal girl-punk bands (Bikini Kill and Le Tigre), her creation of the "riot grrl" movement, her early retirement due to her battle with Lyme Disease and her triumphant return to music. As a compilation of Hanna's work on stage, it's merely an act of stitching together the pre-existing video clips and her feminist views (and politics) get pandered to without really delving into them. It's difficult seeing such a fierce performer debilitated so dramatically by sickness, but she picked a talented and loving husband (Adam Horovitz, of Beastie Boys fame) to be by her side: really, we should all be pulling for her (and, as a bit of personal disclosure, I admire a lot of her music). My personal take on Cassavetes? Genius.
