Banger

Struggling to follow up his previous hit with another one, once-successful musician Roman (portrayed by Dimitri Max, himself a one-man show who also writes, directs, produces and edits, let’s assume he made the tea as well) finds himself caught between realising his artistic vision and meeting his deadline. Under constant pressure from external voices to just get it done, Roman finally gets his head down and turns to some more unorthodox methods to finally get the track just right.

Narratively, there isn’t a lot in Banger to really digest, in fact it’s quite the light snack in that regard. Contained for the most part as a one-character piece and to just one setting over its four-and-a-half-minute runtime, there isn’t much room for many deeper plot points or a lot of character development here. But actually, that isn’t really what Dimitri Max and Banger are looking to do at all.

What Banger does have to offer is a film compiled of a number of interesting and, for the creatives, entirely relatable themes. The pursuit of perfection in art, how those who create often punish themselves as part of that relentless pursuit as well as the compromises artists sadly are frequently forced to make when dealing with outside influences upon their visions are all realised here. Anyone of the creative persuasion will be able to relate to this, and Max manages to showcase all these with a great deal of aplomb and a bit of tongue in cheek humour as well.

But what is most impressive and worth a special commendation is how Max manages to juggle so many facets of the filmmaking on his own while still managing to deliver quality work in practically all areas. Often wearing too many hats in the filmmaking process can mean divided attentions, some aspects can get more care than others. But not with Max.

Judging by the clean, precise nature of the film, Max isn’t one to settle for anything less than good quality product, everything looking immensely professional and considered throughout but it’s the editing along with some more creative camera-work that is probably the stand-out here, with Max managing to make the most of that singular space and keep things fresh through some well-timed and well-placed cuts. And as if showing that writing, directing and editing were all clearly discernible talents they possess wasn’t enough, Max manages to round it all off with a great performance full of exasperated exhaustion that fully embodies the pains that only the create process can impose on us.

It might not have something to offer all, but Banger is a fitting homage to the pains of the creative process and will strike true to the heart of creators everywhere. Maybe not quite an absolute banger, but a solid hit for sure.