Why we picked it: The unknown story of “what happened next?” told with innovative use of archive material. The film will be introduced by the Lead Archive Producer.
Synopsis – In 1972, after the acrimonious break-up of The Beatles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono retreated to an small apartment in Greenwich Village, spending much of their time watching television. The film explores that turbulent year: both for the USA and for them personally. Their hopes to restore the optimism and innocence of the 60s crashed into the reality of the 70s and the film gives a new perspective on the couple: showing John’s unstoppable enthusiasm and redressing the balance for Yoko.
The film– If there are rules for documentary film making, this breaks them all: there are no talking heads, no narrator and no linear narrative. Available archive material lets the past speak for itself, including restored footage of John and Yoko’s One to One benefit concert for special needs children (their only full length concert performance after The Beatles), recordings they made of their telephone calls in which they speak unguardedly, home movies and other previously unseen footage from the Lennon Estate. Much of this came to light as the film was being made, giving an additional dynamic to the process of making the film. Here is an interview and Q&A with the director Kevin Macdonald.
Director: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards. Writer: Clare Keogh, Cinematography: Davi Katznelson. Lead Archive Producer: Hannah Ratcliffe