When Oasis split up, everything went off the rails. So asserts a typically erudite Liam Gallagher in Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, a documentary that examines the dramatic trajectory of the legendary Britpop band against a backdrop featuring the likes of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Theresa May. Did the breakup of a band genuinely break the global order? Obviously not. Yet when their return arrived last summer filled with tambourines, bucket hats, and elongated vowels, did it begin to heal the collective mood? Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, working alongside writer Steven Knight, certainly believe so, and they construct a compelling cinematic case to prove it.
Beyond the Standard Concert Film
The cinematic landscape has hardly lacked blockbuster concert films in recent years. The recorded concert tours of artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Beyoncé have all thrived as audiences seek out the communal escape that live music provides. What sets Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger apart from those peers is the affectionate, holistic manner in which it captures the Live 25 phenomenon as it unfolded in real time. It operates as a mercurial blend of introspective rock documentary and fully immersive concert experience, boasting incredible behind-the-scenes moments where viewers witness Liam walking into his first rehearsal.
A rollicking paean to the unifying power of music.
From Rehearsal Rooms to Stadium Anthems
From early rehearsal-room reconciliations to final-night stadium singalongs of Champagne Supernova, the documentary crystallizes a moment when belting out classic anthems with fans of all ages and nations felt like a genuine antidote to modern malaise. Cinematographers Lol Crawley and James Laxton anchor the production, reverently framing moments of raw chaos and cathartic emotional release through charged close-ups and sweeping wide shots that heighten the overall cinematic impact.
Director Pairings and Minor Flaws
As followers of Lovelace and Southern’s previous documentary work focusing on LCD Soundsystem, Blur, and New York’s indie scene will recognize, the filmmaking duo possess an innate gift for capturing cultural snapshots. While the broad scope occasionally compromises deep narrative focus, such as spending extended time on a deep-sea-diving metaphor in South Korea, this exuberant tribute to musical unity easily forgives any minor structural foibles.
