Underplayed – Importantly Highlighting The Underrepresented

Underplayed is a documentary that focuses on the unheard voices and music of recent female Electronic music producers, artists and musicians. Fans of electronic music may know some of the more prolific artists such as Tokimonsta, Rezz and Alison Wonderland. Not being a huge fan of electronic music, this documentary has been a bit of an eye-opener for sure.

For a documentary to be successful, a few key elements must be represented. The first is that there should be an objective; does it educate the viewer, does it inspire the viewer? Underplayed does both of these things extremely well. That said, after researching some of these artists, it seems evident that a few minor facts have been omitted or perhaps purposefully ignored in the telling of these stories.

Above all, a documentary should be presented with an unbiased lens. The information should be free of influence from every party involved. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with lesser-known artists being discovered by more prolific artists in the same field (in fact, it’s almost a given that this happens), it’s important to know the truth behind their progression. While the film focuses on the underplayed female DJs and artists, it’s not entirely transparent to say each of these artists made their own way and forged their own paths. According to the sources available, that is not the case for at least two women represented in this documentary.

At the end of the day, people may not care how an artist got to where they did or how, unless if they’re a critic. But the struggles some of these women experienced, which ranged from isolation to suicidal thoughts, is a huge deal. Mental health is a significant factor to consider. It gives the audience a glimpse into the real person. Knowing that some of these women suffered a great deal to get to where they have in their chosen field is extremely relevant. If one is a painter, they don’t leave a painting unfinished. It’s the same premise here. Audiences want the whole story, not just the bits the filmmakers think people want or need to see. Underplayed offers a rare glimpse into the artists and their journey towards making a name for themselves in such a highly competitive and male-dominated field.

Everything these days is about “inclusivity” and “under-representation”. Underplayed covers this in-depth. It was a little shocking to see so many of these women presenting themselves in a masculine way to their audiences. But the reasons for doing so are almost heartbreaking. For any person to have to hide who they really are is sad enough. For artists and creative people to do this can be completely detrimental to their well-being. The whole reason behind having a voice and being heard is to make the masses notice who they truly are, warts and all. Many of these women choose to look a certain way so that their music and talent have a chance to shine. And they do this so that their music is not about how they look. It’s about who they are. As much as they don’t want their creativity to have anything to do with their gender, their critics always focus on that fact.

In the end, Underplayed ticks many of the boxes that an inspiring and educational documentary should. By bringing awareness to the issues that surround female DJs and artists (there is a huge difference between these two things, by the way), there is room for these situations to change. The most prominent message delivered by this documentary is that anyone can be what they want if they have what it takes deep down to succeed. And it shouldn’t matter whether they are male or female. Talent is talent. It doesn’t have a color or gender, or sexual orientation. So why is it so difficult for women to progress in this field?

That is the question that Underplayed answers, even if a few minor details are missing from the artist biographies.

still courtesy of levelFilm

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