Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: ALICIA KEYS - THE GIRL FROM HELL’S KITCHEN [Tribeca Film Festival - New York, New York]

The idea that circumstance change a person as well as their trajectory is wonderfully represented in “Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell's Kitchen” [Closing Night/Gala] which starts off as a background into the making of Keys’ Broadway show which took 10 years to create but becomes a deeper perspective on her path. It bookends the story with the workshop and launch at The Public Theater and shows the path that these kind of shows, especially independently produced, have to go through. That was probably the thinking when making the documentary since it goes all the way back from there. And the reality is that Keys might own her own music which makes the licensing bit a little easier. The film is directed by One9 who has done a lot of social commentary docs so this makes sense. However the most interesting part is seeing the reflection of how Keys grew up…in an artist residence in the middle of Hell's Kitchen in the early 80s which looks very different than it is now. Manhattan Plaza sounds like a really unique place in a darker corner of town that housed some of the best character actors and writers working today, of all shapes, sizes and colors.

Alicia and her mom are the only ones really talking on screen but you hear audio thoughts from many people including Terrence Howard who spoke about seeing Keys practice when she was 14 down in the Ellington Room in the basement of Manhattan Plaza. Keys' relationship with her mother and her mother's acting aspiration and focus versus her father who really wasn’t there (even though his parents were) speaks to a tricky dynamic that isn’t fully explained (perhaps it was addiction). Nevertheless that emotional space (even when he tries to come in later in her life) is very poignant especially considering she has been married to Swiss Beatz for 15 years and has two children with him. They both show up at various times but the focus undeniably is Keys and her mom. The doc also gives a good representation of Hells Kitchen at that time though maybe not as deep as what was really going on. That said, it is supposed to represent the view a 12-year-old would have had. But the dirt and grime too can have a bit of nostalgia because it was what it was.

Keys talks about going to the Tunnel on the West Side Highway when she was 15. As students at NYU in the mid 1990s went when we were at film school, The Tunnel and the Limelight were places we went but we wouldn’t go on Mekka Night since that was hip hop night but also when hip hop in NYC was getting really big. But it was this and the cipher circles mixed with her classical piano talent that gave her her unique identity. Keys tries to interrelate it to the girl playing the lead in her play as it begins to build. Moments like when Keys says she loves Chopin are big but it also shows when Clive Davis took on her record contract from Columbia. The detail that when he realized when the charts weren’t reflecting Keys' talent, he asked a favor of Oprah to put her performing on her show which broke Keys into the mainstream. This all works backwards and one of the great things is seeing Keys musically think. This is not the end of her story but it is an interesting spot to reflect. Her end game is unknown but by making this doc independently instead of through a music company or studio, the narrative is specific though it would be interesting to see how Keys herself reflected its story direction which is honest and yet linear in many ways. B+

By Tim Wassberg