• Director(s):

    QUINN (NICK)

  • Producer(s):

    GLORIA FILMS PRODUCTION, ARTE FRANCE

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2000

  • Language(s):

    German, French

  • Rights:

    NON-THEATRICAL, TV, INTERNET

Every Saturday evening, locals meet up at a pub in a small town in North Wales for a karaoke session.

This weekly gathering gave Nick Quinn the opportunity to shoot an amusing and touching documentary on the joys of singing together in order to escape life's difficulties - a slice of real life!
Via encounters with these uninhibited Welshmen and women, Nick Quinn tries to find out what is behind the current craze for karaoke in Wales. It is true that singing has always been an important part of Welsh culture: the country's male voice choirs of miners and rugby-players are legendary and the British pop scene is currently dominated by Welsh pop groups. But perhaps there is more to it than that. A series of short interviews reveal the everyday tragedies and boredom behind this community's cheerful façade. The aspiring musicians, single mothers and cardboard-factory workers want to be someone, if only for the time it takes to lip-synch to a single pop-song. Not everyone approves of this escapism: "It doesn't change anything. It just makes things worse. It makes them feel better, so they don't ask any questions," opines Dave, a genial Marxist.
As for Nick Quinn, he manages to observe the karaoke-freaks with making any judgements, skilfully interweaving laughter and tears. The wonderful closing sequence in which everyone sings along to Robbie Williams' hit "Angel" is a terrific cinematographic moment.