TIFF 2023: Stop Making Sense Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

A24 gave film and music fans a gift this year by re-releasing in theatres a remastered and 4K version of the acclaimed Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense. The film is widely-considered one of the best concert films ever made since its original release in 1984. Director Johnathan Demme would go on to have great career, winning Best Picture for Silence of the Lambs. However, some still consider Stop Making Sense his best film even with all of the acclaim of his later films.

On the surface, it is just a concert film featuring the Talking Heads performing their biggest hits off of albums such as “Speaking in Tongues” and “Remain in Light”. However, with the production’s staging, the band’s electric energy, and Demme’s immaculate direction, the result is something that has yet to be matched in cinema. A certain energy is captured where it just feels like being in the room with them. Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne has an enchanting charm to him, unlike most lead singers. While he isn’t a teen heartthrob like other lead singers of famous bands, he’s gawkish, awkward, and fascinating to watch. He runs around the stage while singing and never runs out of breath. Byrne catches a light post as he sings “This Must Be The Place”. He puts on a suit three times as big as him and pulls it off. His singular energy is what makes the film so daring and exciting. Not many people can simply put together a production that is so meticulously crafted, but somehow feels so in the moment. Stop Making Sense is a miracle of a film.

Meanwhile, A24’s restoration has only improved it. For those who have seen the film several times, this release adds a whole new dimension to it. The music is so incredibly dynamic and to hear the remaster on the big screen is beautiful. Encapsulating the whole theatre, it is truly a genuine out-of-body experience. The 4K restoration is beautiful as well and shows audiences a time capsule of a 1980s concert stage and venue, restored to its glory.

In the end, Stop Making Sense sees the technology and innovation of today restore a film that should be considered a piece of art to be passed down from generation to generation.

still courtesy of A24

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Brett Schutt

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