MIROIR NOIR



Trust Arcade Fire not to put out a traditional DVD. Whilst most music films of this type are a straightforward recording of a particular performance, Miroir Noir is a mish-mash of live footage, documentary and art-house wankery that results in an experience that’s both fascinating and frustrating. The first twenty minutes are the epitome of this- the amazing live footage of Wake Up performed in the middle of a Parisien audience is cut off at the critical moment to segue into some arty bollockry; we are continually teased with snippets of songs rather than the full articles so Vincent Morriset can play at being an art-house director. His editing decisions aren‘t all awful- the phone calls that intersperse the film add a touch of humour and pathos to proceedings, and the gradual building-up of songs from their bare bones to their fully-orchestrated gloriousness works well no matter how many times he does it- but too often it seems like a film that’s enjoyable despite, rather than because, of itself.

Thankfully, things improve as the film goes on- although Miroir Noir doesn’t reveal much about the secretive Canadians there’s a few intriguing insights- Regine fretting before a show, Win and Regine arguing during the recording process, Win and Tim waltzing stone-faced to Ocean of Noise. And the actual musical footage is uniformly great- my particular highlights being an acoustic rendition of Windowsill in a glass elevator and Power Out/Rebellion, which is shown in its entirety and fantastically captures how spectacular a live act Arcade Fire can be. It’s definitely a film for fans only- the pretentiousness certainly wont endear them to naysayers- but despite its many flaws it still left a huge fanboyish smile on my face.

(Photo: Rodasol (Flickr))