X
  • 2014
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 15 m
  • 2014
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 15 m

Summary A strange singer with ‘god given talent’ drifts through the mythic city of Memphis under its canopy of ancient oak trees, shattered windows and burning spirituality. Surrounded by lovers, legends, hustlers, preachers, and a wolfpack of kids, the unstable performer avoids the recording studio and is driven to spend time in his own form of...

Directed By: Tim Sutton

Written By: Tim Sutton

  • 2014
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 15 m
  • 2014
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 15 m

Memphis

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
65
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Where to Watch

Summary A strange singer with ‘god given talent’ drifts through the mythic city of Memphis under its canopy of ancient oak trees, shattered windows and burning spirituality. Surrounded by lovers, legends, hustlers, preachers, and a wolfpack of kids, the unstable performer avoids the recording studio and is driven to spend time in his own form of...

Directed By: Tim Sutton

Written By: Tim Sutton

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
65
53% Positive
9 Reviews
47% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
65
53% Positive
9 Reviews
47% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Apr 16, 2015
[Willis’s] heavy trudge on a game leg suggests weariness of historical dimensions; the harmonious mysteries of the urban landscape are themselves the essence of his art. A brilliant sequence of musicians at work gets away from familiar modes of filmed performance and into the depths of inner experience.
By Richard Brody FULL REVIEW
80
Aug 25, 2014
A digressive, daringly experimental study of a flailing musician, magnetically played by accomplished bluesman and poet Willis Earl Beal.
By Rob Nelson FULL REVIEW
75
Sep 1, 2014
The film's music is the city itself as well as a subtle suggestion that Tim Sutton's own digital cinema is just as elusive and intangible as Willis's unwavering sense of dissatisfaction.
By Clayton Dillard FULL REVIEW
67
Sep 3, 2014
Constantly just dodging visual cliché, Sutton tries to isolate moments of beauty and frustration within a specific milieu. Sometimes he captures resonant moments in bars and in stray dialogue; other times, his purposelessness seems less like a strategy and more like an evasive feint.
By Vadim Rizov FULL REVIEW
60
Aug 25, 2014
Ultimately, Memphis is a bold and bewildering conjuring act, that might mean nothing at all, but the sleight of hand is worth the price of admission.
By John Bleasdale FULL REVIEW
50
Sep 11, 2014
The film feels like a sketch rather than a portrait, beautifully rendered but incomplete in the details.
By Martin Tsai FULL REVIEW
40
Sep 3, 2014
The filmmaker’s second feature is an unfortunate sophomore slump, an abrasive and opaque artist-in-crisis story that feels protracted at barely 80 minutes.
By Keith Uhlich FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Release Date Sep 5, 2014
Duration 1 h 15 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
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Awards

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Sarasota Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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