"As an artist, what are you most afraid of?"
This is a question posed by record producer extraordinaire Charlie (Charlie Saxton) in Art of a Hit, a movie that explores the emotional dark side of staying true to one's personal artistic vision. For Ryan (Ryan Donowho), the lead singer of a once-famous rock band, the fear of becoming irrelevant is his greatest concern.
The story takes place mostly in the early 2000's right before social media would take over the world and how we think about producing art. Before the days of producing "content". The movie evokes nostalgia for a time when the concept of 'selling out' was still relevant. Today, this idea seems quaint, as artists are now celebrated for landing sponsorships and brand deals, even if it means selling a most personal, heartfelt song to a Taco Bell commercial.
Excelsis, the fictional alt-rock band in Art of a Hit, had a smash hit in the late '90s and even performed at the 1996 Video Music Awards, but success can be fleeting, especially in the music industry. It's eight years later, and we're with the band as they are trying to record a comeback album. Their record label has sent them to a sprawling, frigid castle in France, owned by Charlie, one of the industry's best producers. He has a proven history as a guru capable of producing hits and platinum albums. Local folklore has it that people go insane in that castle.
The bulk of the movie takes place in this one location, exploring the band members' shifting motivations and their conflict with Charlie, who is a complete dick. But hey, if he can produce a hit, it's worth putting up with his eccentricities. This tension is heightened by a handheld camera that gives the movie the feel of a documentary. It feels as though we are witnessing an actual band trying to get together in one last effort to make art together.
Most of the band members have no qualms about just following Ryan's direction and recording a song that will become super popular and make them rich. Maybe even put Excelsis back in the limelight. But to Ryan, the band's leader and songwriter, this means selling out, recording bland music he doesn't care about. How far is he willing to bend his integrity for relevancy?
While the struggle to maintain artistic integrity isn't a groundbreaking topic in rock movies, Art of a Hit makes it the central theme and explores it in depth. Ryan is not opposed to conventional success and he's willing to work with the band and Charlie to compromise his vision to a point. He's the only person in the band who seems to be desperately clinging to maintaining a tiny bit of the spark he once had to create music. The new songs he has written are dismissed as being out of touch with the current sound and commercial death. There's a nice moment when he talks to his drummer Cristin (Allie Macdonald) and they reminisce about why they formed a band in the first place: mostly to rebel against their parents. But as we grow older and begin to struggle, we realize that being broke sucks. Why not just record crap that people want to hear?
Art of a Hit is marketed as a horror film, but it is most certainly not. There are some creepy scenes, mostly within Ryan's imagination, and some very tense moments, but the vibe is much more psychological. It's all about how far you are willing to go to make art, and then how far you are willing to compromise it. There's a beautiful scene in a pub where the band is watching a local, elderly performer playing guitar and singing his heart out to an empty room. "He's enjoying himself. I feel bad for him."
Art of a Hit is an art movie for artists. Any artist, not just musicians. Is art meaningful if no one sees or hears it? Would you rather have millions of people love something you created that you personally hate? The movie has no clear answers and ends on a somber note that hit me in the gut.
In a passionate conversation with Ryan, Cristin poses the film's most pragmatic opinion: "Success is just so random. It doesn't matter if we die famous or no one knows who we are because we all end up in a pile of dirt in the ground. It's just art. It's not that big of a deal."
