Gridlocked (2022) Film Review
It’s hard to identify what makes Gridlocked such a beautiful film.
Is it The Briggs’ magnetic attitude?
Is it the endearing personality of its members?
Or is it the ultimately revelatory intention by director Kevin James Barry?
Call it what you will, few rock documentaries dare to go this deep. It’s fascinating when someone takes the opportunity to dig into the history and stories of our favorite bands.
But I can guarantee a few of you don’t know about The Briggs. Hell, I didn’t even know of their existence. And what Kevin James Barry has accomplished with Gridlocked is making us fall in love with an idea that remains an idea for most. The concept of a musical artist conquering a scene while remaining human in the morning when they wake up and must be regular members of society. No matter what you know about them, you will always question if they function the same way as we do.
Gridlocked follows punk rock band The Briggs as they go on a 10-day tour on the West Coast of the US. Leaving their families, duties and obligations behind, the musicians get on a road that’s harsh and improvisational in nature. But it’s hard to think this isn’t where they function best and become better versions of their former selves.
The documentary is directed by LA-based Kevin James Barry and contrary to what you may imagine he could do, the director focuses on anything other than music performances, and punk rockers misbehaving just because they’re supposed to. Gridlocked is mostly told from the perspective of frontman Joey LaRocca, a more than sensible singer who goes beyond what’s expected from him, and shares an intimate consideration of what the music and the stage mean to him. His band partners join him in the daily conversation that makes for a compelling journey through the lives of performers whose music isn’t widely accepted.
The Briggs are pros in their own craft. One that would be confused for music that doesn’t need any talent behind its making. Punk represents a wide array of sounds that aren’t amicable at first, but when you blend LaRocca’s vocals with the band’s past experiences you get something interesting. Definitely something you would wanna see. At a performance a girl head bangs and is made part of the emotional experience that is a punk live performance. Few music genres have been made “acceptable” as punk has in Gridlocked. We got a very good director and a very passion-driven band to thank for that.
The film does enough to erase any prejudice you may hold about punk and punk rockers. These are your neighbors, the men attending PTA meetings, and the tattooed monsters you’re afraid of when you meet them at Walmart. In heartbreaking, yet ultimately emotionally fulfilling moments, members must lead with family video calls that allow them to remain connected with their mundane lives, definitely the ones not related to the music performances.
Then again, I believe musicians are sponges. Everything they express on stage and records has to do with what they live and how they live it. This may be the final tour for the band, but Gridlocked is engaging enough to make us root for a documentary sequel (if there’s any sense in making a sequel to a documentary). At least I want to know about what they do next. And I can guarantee that after meeting your new good friends in Gridlocked, you too will want to see them again.
Oh yeah, and those last shots at the last gig. Beautiful!
