Final Rating: 3/5
Blu-Ray Recommendation: Recommend
Rave culture was not a new film subject at the turn of the century, with directors like Doug Liman and Gregg Araki using this backdrop for adrenaline-filled narratives with style to spare.
The independently produced Groove (which centers around an all-night rave in an empty warehouse on the waterfront of San Francisco) was the brainchild of Greg Harrison who wrote, produced, directed, and edited the film. It debuted at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired and released later that year by Sony Pictures Classics. The film is an ensemble piece following the organizers involved with putting on the rave, those that are attending, and the different DJs that play throughout the night.
The character archetypes are established early on, mostly falling into expected tropes: an uptight working class guy getting coerced to attend by his raver brother and his girlfriend; a chemistry grad student meticulously preparing psychedelics for himself and others; a long-haired techie trying to hot-wire the warehouse for electricity; a gay couple using this party to celebrate an anniversary. Eventually things come together, the directions to the party location are distributed, the records start spinning, and the all-nighter begins.
This is where Groove starts to differentiate itself from its contemporaries in the rave culture film niche. Where most others focus on a narrative that weaves its way through the dancing, Groove’s warehouse shindig is the real main character.
Throughout much of the 4K disc’s audio commentary, Harrison, producer Danielle Renfrew, and cinematographer Matthew Irving speak at length about the importance of capturing the real ethos of the underground rave scene in San Francisco. It’s clear that they are part of this subculture, and the film features as many actors and extras from this scene as it does professionals from outside of it. This is most evident in the performer lineup, with veteran scene DJs like Polywog, Forest Green, WishFM, and superstar John Digweed all having speaking parts.
Authenticity was clearly an overarching goal, and it shows. Plot points and narrative development are given the same amount of care and screentime as impactful moments on the dancefloor and comedown moments in the chill room. The rave isn’t framed as a culmination of stories or a “best party ever” that changes everyone’s lives. It’s the kind of event that happens pretty often, bringing together a loose collective of electronic music lovers that just want a chemical-fueled escape from their everyday lives while they dance until dawn. Anyone that has been a part of this sort of scene anywhere in the world will likely be hit with bass-heavy waves of nostalgia by Groove.
This increased focus on the party and scene itself does hold the film back in a few ways. Narratively, Groove does feel a bit underbaked. It’s a delicate balancing act, and it felt like Harrison wanted to avoid leaning too hard into character cliches, but it does feel like connection to the characters is lacking by the end credits. There are plenty of capable supporting players on the cast, including Hamish Linklater, Lola Glaudini, and Mackenzie Figens, but they aren’t given quite enough room for their characters to blossom fully. The film would likely have benefitted from about 10% more of what they already had going in terms of story and relationship development.
Despite its shortcomings, however, this no-budget love letter to underground dance parties clearly found an audience that has lasted. The brand new 4K release from Sony Pictures Classics is proof enough of that. Despite not being shot in high definition, the 4K format does really lend itself to the darker and more colourful visuals as well as the thumping swells of the music.
The presentation on this physical release does port all of the supplemental features from previous DVD releases, including the commentary track, deleted and extended scenes, casting auditions and camera tests, a short behind-the-scenes featurette, and a music video for the film’s final track. No new bonus materials have been included with this release, but special note should be given to the commentary track for highlighting the real passion that Harrison and his collaborators had for this subject.Groove didn’t strive for widespread appeal, which is why it found the success in its niche that it did. The music hits like a well-practiced vinyl DJ would intend and the people you meet throughout the party feel real. It worked to capture a subcultural moment when it was released, and twenty-six years later it feels like a nostalgic time capsule for a simpler time.
Thank you Allied Vaughn and Movie Zyng for the screener.
Buy your copy of Groove here: https://moviezyng.com/ryhbgp
