Suleika Jaouad, a writer, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2011. After a grueling treatment schedule, Jaouad’s cancer went into remission. Jaouad had met musical phenom John Batiste in Band Camp in middle school and years later, they reconnected and fell in love.
Fast foreward to November 2021. Filmmaker Matthew Heineman was already in production of American Symphony which was supposed to be a documentary on Batiste’s upcoming Carnegie Hall performance. But now the project hit a “pivot” point. Jaouad told Heineman, “I never want to be flattened into ‘the sick girl.” Heineman reassured Jaouad that he had no interest in an illness plot, but would focus on the relationship between Jaouad and Batiste. Jaouad agreed to the project.
What first started as a documentary on multi-Grammy winning John Batiste morphed into a love story about a couple dealing with serious troubles. The film, drawn from 1500 hours of footage, covers the highs and lows of Jaouad and Batiste’s struggle. I found it very moving. Keep a Kleenex handy. GRADE: A
Looking forward to this and glad you approve.
Patti, what was supposed to be a music documentary turned into something else. I found it very moving.
I saw there was a documentary about Batiste but didn’t how the details. I bet Jackie will want to see it.
Jeff, Jackie will love AMERICAN SYMPHONY.
I would be tentative only to the degree of not wanting my sadness worked too much harder than it already is. But I like Batiste and it does sound interesting.
Todd, I like Batiste, too. It started out being Batiste’s story and then the documentary pivoted to something else. Yes, there’s some sadness but there’s also Hope.