'Concerto For Humanity': The Eras We Live In

‘Concerto For Humanity’ is an exploration of whether or not society has changed over the past century or are we simply repeating our mistakes. In the opening monologue, a Morgan Freeman impersonator asks, ”What would someone from 100 years ago think about our world today.” 

The twelve minute and fifty second documentary begins by showing grainy home movies. It contrasts these images with colorful, cell phone and stock footage from protests and ethnically homogenous everyday life. This is an experimental project with no interviews or the typical format of a documentary. There is an intermittent musical score that drops in and out punctuating the mood of the images. 

The ‘why’ of the film is somewhat convoluted. The viewer is left to extrapolate a meaning behind all the hard cuts of excerpted video. I wish there was more authentic narration that articulated the filmmaker’s vision more clearly. This speaks to the abstract nature of the film, reminding the viewer to look at it much like a Jackson Pollock painting that moves your gaze to and fro, capturing your imagination. 

It does deliver on its premise, in this regard, by suggesting how socially similar we are to a by-gone era yet technology has made leaps and bounds. It shows a video of a self-driving car and vintage automobiles from the 1930’s. There is a black and white image of a man sleeping on the sidewalk as well as a modern image of a man also sleeping on the threshold of a storefront.  

Even though some of the opening scenes were of immigrants arriving by passenger ships, it was disappointing that there were not more images of melanated America. I suppose this film has a particular audience which is to be expected in any project. 

‘Concerto’ doesn’t expose us to anything we haven’t already seen or reveal any new truths about our society. Having said that, it does sit us down and challenges us to contemplate where we’ve been and where, on this spinning blue marble, are we going.