The Singers
Rating: 4.5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Throughout the history of cinema and storytelling, there has always been the iconic trope of a man walking into a bar. He may interact with the other patrons around him, but nothing is really known of these men besides they are regulars at the bar. As a viewer, we naturally infer that they are lowlifes who come to this sort of bar, and therefore, they are not worthy of our attention or, perhaps, sympathy. However, Sam Davis' short film, The Singers, which is based off the 19th-century story by Ivan Turgenev, beautifully flips that expectation on its head, masterfully presenting the fact that maybe we are too quick to judge these sorts of characters and maybe there is more than meets the eye.
The movie's entire 17-minute runtime is like a scene out of a longer movie, focusing on an ensemble of characters present inside this dark, depressing bar setting. Each of the patrons here might not garner much positive attention, and would rather be the person you try to steer clear of. However, when a singing competition starts inside the bar, each of the patrons takes turns presenting the voice to the rest of the group to find who is the best singer. What comes out of each of their mouths is not only incredibly shocking, but proves the point that we can't judge a book by its cover.
Davis does a great job of capturing this wonderful moment in time, presenting a side of this sort of setting and this class of characters that we haven't seen much before. He is able to present each of these characters here in a very vulnerable state and how it creates this beautiful array of voices that is incredibly unexpected. Who would've thought that these rough-and-tough men can belt out beautiful melodies and even sing in a completely different language? While we don't know much about these characters, as a viewer, Davis is able to draw us towards them and makes it feel like we know so much about them in just this short snippet we see of them.
What I adore about this movie more than anything is the cast. Davis didn't have much of a script when they shot this film, and relied heavily on the actor's use of improv to further the story along. He then casts a bunch of singers he discovered on social media instead of using well-known actors, which I think helps to promote the beautiful realness of this picture. They all do an amazing job of really capturing the essence of these characters and this film, showing how some of these men who are deemed scary or dangerous can unite with one another to share the gift of song and singing. Each actor here perfectly embodies the roles they play, and it's inspiring to see this filmmaker come together with this group of talented actors to really capture something special on film.
While this short film may be brief and only capture this one moment of time, it has so much going on that can really hit home with the viewer. Singing is such a powerful tool for many people, and these unlikely singers in this bar are all united by the power of song and art. Not only did they go from strangers and at each other's throats to singing in harmony with one another, each of these men in the picture held something powerful together. We are lucky enough as viewers to see this powerful moment on screen, brought to life by some incredible filmmakers and performers.
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