Tribeca 2021: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road is a documentary that walks hand in hand with Wilson as he looks back on moments in his life that helped define who he was. Its structure is a long-streaming conversation between Wilson and long-time friend and journalist, Jason Fine, serving as an informal and sweet homage to a career of music that has impacted generations and will continue to do so for many to come. However, it is not without cost.

Through pain, there can be profound beauty. This is something Wilson not only believes but has come to wear like a regular piece of clothing. He knowingly continues to tap into it as a source to keep creating some of the best-written songs in the world. It’s evident that returning to hardships both self-inflicted and unforeseen is not something he always enjoys doing, however, he is clearly compelled to do. Long Promised Road leans into this concept as Wilson and Fine reflect on the years with The Beach Boys, Wilson’s father, Dr. Landy, and Wilson’s current physical and emotional state. The film is a gentle walk through memories that are clearly difficult to discuss all the while the viewer is unable to take their eyes off of Wilson who even despite physical and mental setbacks is constantly observing and analyzing everything before him in the effort to create.

There is a genuine simplicity with this journey that is magnificently blended with talking heads that celebrate both the life and career of the musical magnate. And despite many relying on tropes of expression, or humorous anecdotes, there is no mistaking the very authentic reverence and appreciation for such a man who has influenced so many. While others might crave more dirt or gossip to materialize, especially given a documentary set in this style of delivery, there is none to be seen. Wilson’s ability to discuss his life seems to be a roadblock to the topic he truly wishes to talk about – music. In the end, it’s all that matters to him and the rest is by the wayside.

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road doesn’t stray too far away from the typical documentary style that works. But what it lacks in style, it more than makes up for with its subject who even when he’s listening to someone else speak or is simply listening to music is magnetic and consumes every inch of the screen. Wilson’s life is amazing but even in his later years his ability to still create, the respect earned among his peers, and the impact his art has had on so many is something to be celebrated which this documentary fully understands and does so with grace.

still courtesy of Tribeca

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