Summer of Soul

Highlighting a landmark musical series that happened in the weeks leading up to, during, and after Woodstock, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) lovingly chronicles the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and deserves to be held in the same regard as the film Woodstock. Clocking in at less than half its documentary peer’s runtime, it’s significantly more accessible, and arguably much more enjoyable — just like the NYC concerts themselves.

Making his directorial debut, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove of hip-hop band The Roots) presents stirring footage of immensely talented Black artists, performing songs that remain cutting-edge today, and delivering socially conscious messages that, for better or for worse, are still being given at modern-day racial equity gatherings.

Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, B.B. King, and many more all-time greats deservingly receive the royal treatment, but rather than merely focus on the music, Thompson makes the inspired choice of sitting select performers and attendees down to watch the clips and recording their emotional reactions, resulting in a more well-rounded experience.

Though Summer of Soul only delves surface deep into why the film reels sat unseen for 50+ years, settling on “the powers that be didn’t deem it sufficiently important,” the mere fact that it’s been so skillfully assembled for new generations’ enjoyment this summer and beyond can leave such questions to the DVD bonus features.

Grade: A-minus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse, and available to stream via Hulu

(Photo: Searchlight Pictures)