SDFF 2017 Critic’s Award—The Groove Is Not Trivial
“Bookended by the universal theme of music as a catalyst for cultural revival, Tommie Dell Smith captures the irrepressible fiddler Alasdair Fraser’s global odyssey from his native Scotland to California and on to Spain, by honoring the transformational power of both music and film in her toe-tappingly beautiful, The Groove Is Not Trivial.”
Director Smith first met Fraser when her daughter joined the San Francisco Scottish Fiddler’s Club. Over time, the film director grew to appreciate the master fiddler’s belief that traditional music can have a profound impact not only on an individual, but on the future of an entire culture. Filming and sound recording took seven years and thousands of miles of travel from Northern California to Scotland, Nova Scotia and Spain, but that alone is not enough to make a film this great. The masterful editing shares sights and sounds so brilliantly, you can taste and feel the energy pouring forth. Underlying all, is the brilliantly presented story of “subversive empowerment” with musical people joining together to create a glorious future.