Movie Review: The Icarus Line Must Die - Surreal Punk Experience

Genre: Drama

Director: Michael Grodner

Cast: Joe Cardamone and Charlotte Cardamone

Studio: Dark Star Pictures

Runtime: 82 minutes

Release Date: Premieres in LA on June 20, 2018

Rated: Not Rated

Rating ★★★★★

The Icarus Line Must Die is a strange experience. The film follows Joe Cardamone (Joe Cardamone), the lead singer of the punk rock band The Icarus Line. He has a lot on his plate with his fiancé Charlotte (Charlotte Cardamone) and their upcoming wedding, a new record he’s struggling to sell to a label, coming up with rent money so he doesn’t get kicked out of his studio, and, to top it off, dealing with an unknown harasser who’s been texting death threats to him. You know, the usual issues one has while living as a rockstar.

Movie Review: <em>The Icarus Line Must Die</em> - Surreal Punk Experience 2

Joe Cardamone stars as a fictional version of himself in The Icarus Line Must Die.

But, that’s not what makes The Icarus Line Must Die weird. What makes it surreal is that Cardamone, who co-wrote the film with director Michael Grodner, was the singer of a band named The Icarus Line in real life. And, not only does he play himself in the film, most of the characters are based on the actors they’re portrayed by. This bizarre mix of fantasy with reality made me think, “OK, I have to see this.”

Initially while watching, I wasn’t sure if I was entirely sold on The Icarus Line Must Die. There’s a very amateurish feeling to Grodner’s direction that is off-putting. I felt like I was watching something some friends threw together over a long weekend. But oddly enough, this simplistic quality to the film is what made it endearing to me. It started to feel as if I were spying on Cardamone going about his day and this became engrossing enough by itself.

Grodner’s direction feels relaxed and hands-off. He lets the actors work off each other naturally, leading each scene to feel real and the dialogue never forced. This approach, however, fails a bit in the last act, as well as in other areas, and scenes start to drag, and the movie itself starts to meander. It loses the raw energy the rest of The Icarus Line Must Die built but thankfully, Grodner brings it back together. He manages to wrap up every story thread in what is probably one of my favorite movie endings so far this year. It’s worth seeing The Icarus Line Must Die for the final seconds alone.

Movie Review: <em>The Icarus Line Must Die</em> - Surreal Punk Experience 3 Since most of the actors are played by their real-life counterparts, and the film goes for a naturalistic approach by letting the actors improv off each other, it makes the performances quite a mixed bag. Some pull off their scenes well but others take you out of the moment because of how nervous they are. Thankfully though, Cardamone is charismatic to watch. He has a dry wit and gives a strong but subtle performance. Even some of the more cliched dialogue feels natural due to Cardamone’s delivery.

However, the film doesn’t focus that much on dialogue or plot. The Icarus Line Must Die relies mainly on mood and atmosphere versus traditional storytelling to move the film along. The black and white coloring mixed with the industrial sounding score help add to the aesthetic. While this could be boring—and I won’t argue against those who say it is because it’s a style not for everyone—I found it captivating. It brought to mind some of the weird experimental films I’ve seen from the 60s and 70s. This can draw some viewers away, as the film doesn’t really have structure and scenes sort of begin and end, but I found it made watching the film wildly unpredictable. You never know what will happen next.

The Icarus Line Must Die is pure punk rock. If you’re a fan of The Icarus Line, it’s a must-see. Or even if you’re someone who’s never heard of the band before, like me, you might find yourself enjoying it if you’re in the mood for something out of the ordinary.

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Dustin Kogler

Professional amateur movie watcher. Dustin is a laid-back nerd who loves discussing pop culture. He loves listening to 80s music, playing video games and watching netflix all day. He's pretty sarcastic and if you tell him your favorite movie he can tell you why you're wrong.