BTS Burn the Stage: the film review: a concert film that plunges into the depths

There is a moment halfway through the BTS concert movie Burn the scene: the movie it sounds prophetic. On the North American tour of the Wings Tour – or BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour to the Army BTS – the seven members of the K-Pop sensation pbad in front of a poster for the Beatles. This cross of musical icons took place last March, two months before the group's Billboard Music Award for the "Top Social Artist" prize and nine before their first television performance in the United States.

But where the arrival of the Beatles on the world stage depended on an American audience (apparently the right of way for most things), BTS was already selling huge arenas around the world without the help of the American public. . The deafening and tearful crowds, however, look very much like the British invasion. The world of pop music has changed. even if Internet breaks the fandoms into various subcultures, the Bangtan Boys or Bangtan Sonyeondan, remained a unifying force. And they are just beginning.

Burn the scene is poetic, intimate and often hilarious. But one thing is definitely not an introduction for non-fans. In fact, it is not sold to non-fans (if you're part of it, here's a taste). The film, adapted from the eight-part YouTube Red series of the same name, is sold even more expensive One Direction: Where we are at its first release earlier in November, so much so that it returns to cinemas around the world during the week of December 5th.

I saw Burn the scene in Mumbai this month. We have not had the chance to get the film for the first time because of censorship issues, but the BTS Army is so dedicated that it has not only convinced a great theater chain to bring the experience of concert in India (the band has unfortunately never played here), but the initial handful of indexed projections quickly exploded to give rise to a complete release in 45 cities. My show of 10:00 was complete. Everyone in the theater applauded the Big Hit Entertainment logo, stronger than the superhero fans at the Marvel intro. And yes, the adorable Pomeranian Yeontan de V received the biggest applause of the morning.

The Marvel comparison is appropriate, given Burn the scene s' enrolled in the social media era of the multiplatform fandom and its attachment to long stories. Watching the movie gives the impression of following a small part of a saga that goes on. Even the new recruits of the BTS Army probably followed the origin of the group Bangtan Bomb, the web series that started in 2013. The film chooses to deliver the group – rappers RM (Kim Namjoon) and Suga (Min Yoongi), street dancer J-Hope (Jung Hoseok) and singers Jin aka Worldwide Handsome (Kim Seokjin), Jimin (Park Jimin), V (Kim Taehyung) and Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook) – fully trained, both as individuals and as a well-oiled machine.

The film bypbades the energy and breath of the band's performances to show us the moments between the music. We have quick breaks in the midst of the frantic run of the stage, anchored by close-ups of cold towels and ice packs on the wounded's necks, while the badistants reapply hastily before the next show. Like the members of the group, the film does not dwell on these difficulties. Instead, it accepts them as a common consequence (perhaps even necessary) of being the most popular boys group on the planet.

The notable disappointment of Burn the scene, however, it's that it not only avoids the performance aspect (keeping us at a visual and auditory distance from the concerts) but does so despite the feeling that it is being built at a musical climax. This climax, unfortunately, never happens.

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

For fans who have never seen BTS perform live, it's an unfulfilled promise, especially for such a unique group of boys in charge of their music and message. The pace accumulates as the group prepares to come on stage, but when they emerge, the film often cuts to after each representation, after showing us simple extracts at best. At first, this seems like a good way to pull us backstage and create a fundamental background for each show before we can experience it, although after the fourth or fifth buildup without any release of energy, a slight frustration begins to settle.

The film has its main objectives: from rehearsals to closed-door meetings to barbecues for groups, watching BTS in their element is pure delight. The film expects the devoted viewers to know enough about the boys not to paint individual portraits, except for Suga, who occasionally takes a break from the chaos with a glbad of wine lying in a bed. comfortable chair while the rest of the team jumps into the pools or eats directly from the grill. The collective dynamic of the group is so joyful and uplifting. They can also do it for each tour.

Visits to various countries during the year-long promotion are divided into poems, either parades on screen or told by the group itself. They speak of the time stretched out before them like oceans, infinite possibilities hampered by occasional obstacles of nostalgia or injury. They are all in their mid-twenties and therefore face physical limitations, which makes them annoying, but what sets them apart from the mundane stories of groups is the blatant lack of ego and conflict.

The first time they report each other's mistakes, it's so simple and straightforward that you can not expect a fight. But that's not what BTS is. They are positive for mental health, Love yourself group who know that collective success depends on the well-being of each individual. During their free rehearsal time, they are friends. They rub shoulders, but they also seek the happiness of each; A unique portrait of male affection, based on a playful intimacy impossible to simulate for the camera. Even the subtitles try to stay as authentic, refusing to locate jokes and puns that do not work when they are not in Korean. (The submarines provide explanations for each joke, although they spin too fast to understand them.)

Sometimes director Jun-Soo Park attends the group's preparatory meetings. "Bang Bangtan!", Screams the group in unison, putting itself forward before going on stage. At other times, we receive excerpts from their personal vlogs as they write songs, train, or hang out in hotel rooms, continuing the tradition of personal web-based storytelling. The crowds are flocking, waving luminous globes that synchronize with the live performance – a visualization of the energy emerging from the stage and invading the audience – and the boys come back with all the affection that is shown to them.

RM, English spokesman of the group (self-taught looking at infinite amounts of friends), even provides an important side to the camera. He explains how much the group likes the fan effort to understand Korean and hopes to return the favor by closing each broadcast in the local vernacular. All this is part of the international packaging of the group, but it comes from a place of authenticity and a rare artistic autonomy for K-pop. This speaks volumes about the space they occupy in the global consciousness, making an extra effort to respectfully unite people through language and beyond.

In the end, the lack of end-to-end performance does not matter, especially at a time when fans have probably already seen the entire tour on YouTube. The BTS Army does not intend to complain. Not when you give them what looks like an exclusive DVD not available online, in the form of an 84-minute trip covering a whole year. It's a year of blood, sweat, tears, laughter and support that fans can feel alongside their idols.

In addition, boys seem to worship equally, doing their utmost to ensure that the lines written to follow your dreams sound authentic, even in languages ​​they do not speak. The film is more comforting than exciting, although it is not a bad thing when comfort comes from global unity. Most concert films capture the current spirit, but Burn the scene has the impression that it speaks to us of a better future.

Burn the scene: the movie screens in the United States on December 5th and 6th.