Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson pulled no punches in his directorial debut. Summer of Soul is a documentary that has a lot of heart and emotion. It tells the story of The Harlem Cultural Festival that took place over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969. Due to the concert taking place around the same time as Woodstock, much of the footage and stories of The Harlem Cultural Festival had been lost to history. Now, the footage has finally been dug up and we're able to see the stunning performances that were witnessed that summer. Some of these performances came from legends like Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B. B. King, and Mahalia Jackson, but there's also a lot of talent brought to the table by lesser-known artists who amaze just as much.

The song choices, editing, and story of this film all add to the emotion of this documentary. The songs are constantly being played one after the other. It plays out like a concert itself and helps the film flow overtime, leaving you hypnotized, unaware of the runtime. Each song ushers in a new story about the late 1960’s, and more specifically, about black America and the communities in Harlem. Each new genre and style of music helps introduce a new issue being discussed, whether it be about oppression or the political status of the country at the time. The editing switches from the emotion of the concert to the emotion of the country flawlessly. One thing this film suffers from, however, is the struggle to find what it's trying to say. At times it felt hard to pinpoint what the documentary was about. Is it about the amazing festival? Is it about the struggle in America at the time? Is it a commentary that reflects on the current cultural climate in the modern day? This film struggles to find what it wants to be, and a lot of this is likely due to this being Questlove's directorial debut.

Nonetheless, Questlove helps create one of the best films of the year by syncing style, emotion, and some of the greatest songs of all time into one sweet package. After finishing this film, I can’t help but get excited for what's to come in this filmmaker's future. While Summer of Soul can seem a bit all over the place, it ultimately is a well crafted documentary that solidifies its place as one of the best films of the year.

9/10