From Alex Ross Perry, the acclaimed director of Her Smell and Listen Up Philip and a distinctive voice in post-mumblecore cinema, comes an irreverent, genre-bending portrait of the iconic '90s indie rock band Pavement. Premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, Pavements blends authentic archival footage, contemporary documentary moments, an ironic jukebox musical, a satirical Hollywood biopic, and playful mockumentary sequences, brilliantly collapsing the boundaries between reality and fiction. As Pavement prepare for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour, the film captures surreal behind-the-scenes preparations for a musical adaptation of their songs, a museum dedicated entirely to the band's legacy, and a knowingly clichéd Hollywood biopic starring Joe Keery as frontman Stephen Malkmus. Interwoven with genuine archival footage and featuring the band members themselves alongside a cast of actors and comedians, Pavements humorously examines fan obsession, myth-making, and the cultural mechanics behind fame. This uniquely layered exploration challenges the traditional way stories about musicians are told with artistry, absurdity and humor, culminating in a refreshingly inventive and endearingly self-aware tribute to an unforgettable band. Starring Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, Tim Heidecker, Kathryn Gallagher, Michael Esper, and Zoe Lister-Jones, and as themselves: Stephen Malkmus, Scott 'Spiral Stairs' Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Steve West, and Bob Nastanovich. Editing by non-fiction innovator Robert Greene (Procession).
