Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon
Stephen C. Mitchell:
Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (USA, 2011)
87 min. - English
Age limit 7 years
Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill are brothers and Mathew Followill their cousin. Together they are Kings of Leon, one of the most popular rock bands in the world. The road to success for these sons of a small town preacher has been a long and rocky one. Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon sheds a light on the beginning and history of the band in Oklahoma, where the Followill clan grew up among a religious family in authentic white-trash-conditions. On one hand religiosity provided an outlet for rebellion, but on the other there are a lot of similarities between the trio of brothers and their preacher father – the size of their audiences and the style of performing are different but the strong exaltation prevails.
In this documentary, directed by Stephen C. Mitchell, we follow the boys return to their home of Talihina, where they get together with their family and friends. There the massive tours and groupies are displaced by rifles, snakes and time standing still. No stone is left unturned (nor home videos or embarrassing childhood pictures unshown), when the band members and their relatives dissect religion, success, relationships and alcohol, with which especially the lead singer Caleb has struggled a great deal. You can take the boys out of Talihina but you can’t take Talihina out of the boys. The coarse and sometimes even grotesque film truly gets close to its subject - it is no glossy marketing gimmick.
Sat 17th Nov at 6:30pm Tapio 3