One of the most well-established ways in which capitalism defeats us is by finding increasingly devious ways to commodify nonconformity and general outsider-ism: Ask anyone who paid money for a Che Guevara T-shirt or considered being a rock star as a career move.
One of the more hilarious scenes in Tom Berninger’s movie Mistaken for Strangers is when the director, in his film role as roadie for his brother Matt’s band, The National, expresses disappointment at the lack of partying on tour. “You guys are so coffee house,” he tells the drummer, “I thought it would be a little more metal.”
The backstage, handheld, cinema verite footage leaves no doubt that for pretty much everyone except Tom, the band’s tour is a job much more than an adventure. Shot between the tour to promote The National’s fifth studio album, High Violet, and the initial songwriting sessions for Trouble Will Find Me, the film offers a good look into the day to day grind of being in an indie-rock band.
Berninger’s main focus, however, is sibling rivalry, and he includes lots of hand wringing and self-analysis about his childhood with his soon-to-be-way-more-famous older brother, as well as extended interviews with their parents. The younger brother does not shy from self-deprecation. He presents himself much like Bart Simpson in the episode where Lisa becomes President and Bart begs his alpha sibling to make him the Secretary of Keepin’ it Real. Berninger eventually gets fired from his roadie job for missing the bus and returns home for a period of somewhat tedious self-examination.
Despite the often depressive self-absorption, the film is very funny and substantially different from most behind-the-scenes ‘rockumentaries’—most of the editing is done on Post-it notes, for example. If you approach this film wanting cool music videos of familiar National songs, you will be disappointed. But if you feel like you want to learn more about the indie rock industrial complex or want to know whether musicians in The National carry their IDs on stage when they perform, Mistaken for Strangers can help.
