Daryl Hannah and Neil Young
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Neil Young Premieres Experimental New Film 'Paradox' At SXSW 2018
Neil Young's latest project is an experimental western film he made with renowned actress-turned-director Daryl Hannah in the Rocky Mountains over a four-day period between tour dates. It comes packaged with every bit of strangeness you'd expect. Have a look:
Young and Hannah premiered the film on Mar. 15 before a packed house at Austin's Paramount Theatre during SXSW. "We made this in the spirit of lighthearted fun," Hannah announced before the screening, according to Rolling Stone. "So we hope you can relax your brains."
The fun the duo had making Paradox -- which was shot on partly on Super 8 film and partly on Hannah's iPhone -- is palpable in the trailer. Set "many months ago, in the future," the film's rustic imagery, wacky characters and trippy scenes of vaguely Western narrative fragments support the "more pot than plot" description Hannah claims for the project.
But considering the lack of, well, any budget, script, crew etc… the trailer manages a highly compelling patina. For the music fans, Young's brilliance is back at work with his band Promise Of The Real (who also back the music efforts of Willie Nelson's son Lukas Nelson) churning out inspired versions of Young classics such as "Cowgirls In The Sand," and the timeless "Pocahontas," sung by Young's disembodied face superimposed over the moon. Young called the project "a labor of love," before clarifying, "well ... not a lot of labor."
Perhaps this is a sign of what's to come for Hannah, though. "I'd like to make a real movie some day," she said, which drew a chuckle from her co-creators. "No offense guys. Just you know, something with a crew and a budget."
Those unable to make the screening in Austin won't have to wait long to see the spectacle of Paradox for themselves — the film will be available on Netflix on Mar. 23.
