Kathleen Hanna isn’t just a riot grrrl, she is the riot grrrl. The nomenclature sprang from her co-created feminist zine, the attitude stemmed from her no-holds-barred outcry, and the anthems were sung with her confident voice. As the founder of seminal ‘90s punk band Bikini Kill, and then electroclash outfit Le Tigre later that decade, she instigated a third-wave feminist movement, encouraged a new generation of young women to fight for their rights, and impressed audiences both alternative and mainstream. In the underground feminist punk rock realm, and then in broader popular culture, Hanna came, saw, and conquered.
And then she stopped, after 15 eclectic years of committedly embodying her cause to all who would listen and many who would not. Her music remained her legacy, but new tracks became a memory, as did her energetic presence on stages and at festivals. The reasoning for the sudden halt was a mystery that perplexed fans and friends, amplified by her retreat from the public eye. In The Punk Singer, documentarian Sini Anderson (the short All Those Girls, Jolie Holland) allows Hanna to reveal, in her own frank and funny way, the how and why: of her musical impact, cultural influence, and career detour.
In footage compiled over the course of two decades, interspersed with recent interviews to camera, Hanna relishes the role of tour guide through her life and times. Just as her lyrics resonated with listeners grasping for something to mobilise their frustrations, her words energise an already electrified tale of a girl from Portland, Oregon who became a punk feminist tour de force. Her penchant for performance is paramount, as she relates her experiences of translating her musical passion into artistic activism. As controversy and attention followed, so too did change – professionally, in altering the accepted guise of female performers and the persistent perception of women-fronted bands, and personally, through creative relationships and health problems.
The construction of The Punk Singer’s content – largely talking heads and archival recordings – may be standard, and the tone of the film’s approach to its topic may mirror that of a tribute; however neither devalues its passion nor diminishes its perceptiveness. As all filmmakers can only hope, Anderson is gifted with an engaging, outspoken subject whose story transcends narrative trickery, the only distraction found in the wealth of material that could have furnished several documentaries. To the feature’s benefit, the director retains an intimate focus, never separating the woman from her ideals and ideas. As the film progresses, the latter may give way to the former, but her transformation through success, romance (with the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz) and the failings of her fragile body prove indivisible from everything Hanna stands for.
Indeed, The Punk Singer’s success is indelibly tied to its affection for its indefinable protagonist, and not just in the roster of music royalty – Joan Jett, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and members of Sleater-Kinney – who rightfully express their admiration. As the film flits from the extreme potency of early videos of Hanna’s spoken word performances to the heartbreaking poignancy of insights into her current plight, with a plethora of amusing and informative forays in-between, it adapts her authentic persona: feisty, fierce and frenetic, but also engaged, exhilarating and empowered.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
The Punk Singer
Director: Sini Anderson
USA, 2013, 82 mins
Melbourne International Film Festival
25 July – 12 August
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