Fearless Freaks

Year: 2005

Grade: B-

Country: USA

Director: Beesley

Review

documentary which charts the history of the flaming lips. i’m not a huge fan of their work so i wasn’t swayed either way by that aspect of the film. it’s well put together – beesley combines several sources well and does so in an artistic and informative way. there’s a little too much meandering from time to time. paradoxically i didn’t feel that the film really went into any great depth with any aspect of the band or the band members. the most harrowing and personal scene came when steve is taking heroin. beesley watches steve while he cooks up the heroin and talks about how he got into heroin and how it’s ruined his life in some ways and how he can’t get off it. after he’s done talking about it he injects it and talks about how it feels – it starts in the stomach and washes all over his body and makes him feel like there isn’t anything to worry about. by the end of the film he’s off the stuff. it’s certainly a fine documentary, but it’s nothing revolutionary.