American Symphony is a 2023 American biographical documentary film directed, written, shot, and edited by Matthew Heineman. It explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, his music career, and his wife's struggle with leukemia.
It had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released by Netflix on November 29. The film received a Best Original Song nomination, for "It Never Went Away", at the 96th Academy Awards.
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Premise
Explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music (including his 11 nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards) and the struggles his wife, Suleika Jaouad, faces with leukemia.
Release
American Symphony had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023. Shortly after, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on November 29, 2023.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "More than a standard musician's documentary, American Symphony uses its behind-the-scenes access to present a portrait of courage and creativity." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The film has been praised for its candid look at the creative process in the face of the hurdles that life throws in the way. Steve Pond of The Wrap stated the film is, "about the creation of art in the face of pressure, tragedy and heartbreak, and about the tension between the glory of creation and the pain of living. It manages to capture the glory but it never ignores the price." John Nugent of Empire Magazine said, "Moving and musical, this is a striking portrait of courage and creativity in the face of some horrific odds chucked at you by life’s lottery."
Director Matthew Heineman has been hailed for his handling of the subject, with Amy Nicholson of LAist's Film Week stating, "This is off base for [director Matthew Heineman], but he brings this great cinematic scale to it," and Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News adding "Both Batiste and Jaouad put their faith and trust in Heineman, and the result is a candid testament to an unconditional love that’s threatened by cancer but defined by one remarkable couple’s commitment to get through it together."