Always Fast, Hardly Accurate: A Love Letter To Punk

Shot over a mere two days, Always Fast, Hardly Accurate, Milton’s documentary about the punk scene in New York, glows with palpable affection—both between the people in it, and the filmmakers. The 24-minute film focuses especially on the female-led Flasyd, but is also nestled between the stories and works of other punk bands, sharing between them lively, eccentric friendships.

Entirely black & white, the aesthetic is heavily reminiscent of the 70s and 80s. In fact, if not for the presence of smartphones, it would not be easy to place this in 2020 (the documentary was shot in March, days before lockdowns came into effect). The mood is explicitly energetic and immersive, but interspersed just right with quieter moments in apartments or outside clubs, used just to talk and reflect. The apartment scenes look and feel straight out of vintage photographs, the sun streaming in through the window next to the bed, a cat lounging.

It is a given that music will feature heavily; live performances are featured, and the soundtrack is an all-around banger. There are four other bands besides Flasyd (P.I.G., Miranda and The Beat, Bipolar, and The Mystery Lights); their performances lead up to the final one, that of Flasyd.

The fast pace that the film sets up early on is absorbing, and 24 minutes go by in an enjoyable flash. And although live music feels like a distant memory at this point, it revives it with gusto. Watch for the good music, nostalgia for times recent and long gone, and a sense of community and purpose-made entirely out of love for punk.

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