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Joan Baez I Am a Noise

Play trailer Poster for Joan Baez I Am a Noise 2023 1h 49m Documentary Music Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE is a raw and intimate portrait of the legendary folk singer and activist that shifts back and forth through time as it follows Joan on her final tour and delves into her extraordinary archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings. Baez is remarkably revealing about her life on and off stage -- from her lifelong emotional struggles to her civil rights work with MLK and a heartbreaking romance with a young Bob Dylan. A searingly honest look at a living legend, this film is a compelling and deeply personal exploration of an iconic artist who has never told the full truth of her life, as she experienced it, until now.
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Joan Baez I Am a Noise

Joan Baez I Am a Noise

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Critics Consensus

Absorbing purely as a chronicle of her remarkable career, Joan Baez I Am a Noise is also moving as a depiction of one woman's personal journey from pain to peace and forgiveness.

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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack) 02/16/2024
3.5/4
Whether or not you’ve ever been partial to Baez’s image as the sainted Madonna of the 1960s folk and protest movements, the movie is worth a look as a raw and intimate portrait of debilitating vulnerability. Go to Full Review
Steve Davis Austin Chronicle 01/05/2024
3/5
But it’s the last half-hour’s revelation of the repressed emotions and memories uncovered in Baez’s midlife therapy sessions, accompanied by the voice and written correspondence of her late father, Albert, that will stick with you most... Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 10/27/2023
4/5
The folk singer and counterculture veteran Joan Baez is the subject of this intimate and painful documentary, which brings us to the brink of a terribly traumatic revelation that it can’t quite bear to spell out. Go to Full Review
Marissa Hill Shade Studios Jul 22
It’s especially impressive how seamlessly the historical clips blend with the narrative, helping to deepen our understanding of how Baez evolved both as an artist and as an activist. It’s not just a film. It’s an experience. Go to Full Review
Lisa Nesselson France24 07/09/2024
Baez is a class act, and so is this film. Go to Full Review
Yago García Cinemanía (Spain) 04/25/2024
3/5
Fascinating in its content, disappointing in its execution. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Stephanie M 11/06/2023 Joan Baezs life and personality we pictured well in this documentary. I would have liked to learn more about the song writing process and how they reflected what was happening in her life at the time they were being written. See more Rod K 10/26/2023 Left out some years, but revealed a lot more of her life than I was aware of. A very intospective documentary and well presented See more Joan M 10/22/2023 Powerful, transparent, emotional movie. I learned so much that I didn’t know about Joan. Highly recommend! See more Anne 10/21/2023 Much more depth and psychological issues revealed than I expected. As a fan of Joan Baez for about 60 years I thought the movie was an excellent modality in which to learn intimate parts of her life. Many people can relate to her especially now. See more JD 10/18/2023 I would have liked to hear more music. See more Barbara 10/18/2023 Loved the music and the narrative. Many others have experienced similar life circumstances. What a beautiful singer in every way. See more Read all reviews
Joan Baez I Am a Noise

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Movie Info

Synopsis Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE is a raw and intimate portrait of the legendary folk singer and activist that shifts back and forth through time as it follows Joan on her final tour and delves into her extraordinary archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings. Baez is remarkably revealing about her life on and off stage -- from her lifelong emotional struggles to her civil rights work with MLK and a heartbreaking romance with a young Bob Dylan. A searingly honest look at a living legend, this film is a compelling and deeply personal exploration of an iconic artist who has never told the full truth of her life, as she experienced it, until now.
Director
Miri Navasky, Karen O'Connor, Maeve O'Boyle
Producer
Miri Navasky, Karen O'Connor
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Mead Street Films
Genre
Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 6, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$647.6K
Runtime
1h 49m
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