Part of Music City Mondays
Three years in the making, this 2004 documentary provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of the most successful and enduring heavy metal band of all time — following the eponymous group over a productive, but tumultuous period in the early Aughts as they hire a new bass player, record the album St. Anger, fight bitterly and seek the counsel of their on-call shrink. Striking in its intimacy and riveting in execution, Joe Berlinger’s film is quite simply one of the great rock docs of all time.
“At first the idea of a rock band in therapy sounds unlikely, if not downright comical… [yet] Mr. Berlinger and Mr. Sinofsky have uncovered the mysterious dynamic of their collaboration, a relationship that is, superficially, both an artistic bond and a business partnership but that is also a deep, bubbling source of identity and anxiety.” —A.O. Scott, New York Times (Jul 9, 2004)
“It’s the most thorough examination of an album’s creation since the Beatles’ “Let It Be” (and nowhere near as depressing!).... The filmmakers’ real interest lies in revealing the traumas, insecurities and relationships of the band members. F**k yeah, rock fans – it’s heavy metal therapy time!” —Film Threat (Jul 9, 2009)