THE SPARKS BROTHERS (dir. Edgar Wright). Your new favorite band

In 2021, cinema has finally recognized the Sparks brothers. Ron and Russell Mael had a special affection for the silver screen since childhood. Taken by their parents to Hollywood productions, primarily war movies and westerns, they gradually fell in love with what they saw—the mythology, storytelling, and the limitless possibilities of the big screen. Over the years, they tried to break into the film industry—musical projects with Jacques Tati and Tim Burton, however, fell through. Their guest appearance in the disaster movie “Rollercoaster” was successful, though it left a natural sense of artistic unfulfillment.

Then came the breakthrough year of 2021, when two films hit festival screens with Ron and Russell playing a central role: Leos Carax’s “Annette” and Edgar Wright‘s “The Sparks Brothers”. A musical and a documentary—while the films differ greatly, they share one thing in common (besides the Sparks brothers, of course): both are artistically fulfilled projects, realized by creators endowed with extraordinary talent, an original, auteur style, and virtually unlimited creativity.

I have the impression that the Maels could not have dreamed of a better person to tell their bumpy, up-and-down creative journey than Edgar Wright. A director who places great emphasis on the formal, audiovisual aspect of cinema, and at the same time, a person with a phenomenal British sense of humor—so close to the zany lyrics of Sparks songs. As if that weren’t enough, he’s a huge fan of Ron and Russell’s work, following their musical endeavors since his youth—Wright even appears among the dozens of people speaking on camera about the Sparks’ career; but under his name, instead of the title “director,” we see the very telling label “fanboy.”

“The Sparks Brothers” is, on the one hand, a biographical documentary made “by the book.” A complete novice, fumbling through the Sparks’ musical legacy (like the writer of this text, for example), will find a brief overview of all 25 albums by the band. You can trace how the American duo’s style evolved, which genres Ron and Russell tackled, and how each album was received—in short, you gain encyclopedic knowledge about the musicians. The biographical documentary format—and in this aspect, I see the personal touch of both Wright and the Sparks—is frequently broken. Amusing animated sequences appear on screen, significantly enriching the film’s formal side. Additionally, archival footage is interspersed with clips from Ron and Russell’s present-day life, as well as short scenes that serve as humorous counterpoints—for example, when one of the brothers’ experimental albums turns out to be a flop, Wright shows us completely failed, absurd aviation experiments where, naturally, wooden wings are strapped to a person’s back. The “Baby Driver” creator is thus ever-present in his documentary, primarily on the level of editing.

The final element that ties “The Sparks Brothers” together are the scenes in the classic “talking heads” convention, which recur throughout the film. However, they are again creatively enriched by Wright on a formal level—each is shot in black and white. In this very simple, yet remarkably effective way, the British director separates the past from the present, giving the film a visual identity while maintaining a flawless (though breathless) structure, ensuring that viewers never get lost in the intense audiovisual maze. Additionally, the “talking heads” scenes help us understand just how many artists the Sparks brothers have influenced—who they inspired and who considered them a key reference point. They also reveal how often people who accompanied the Maels on their artistic journey changed. The film features a whole host of musicians who, at various stages of their careers, crossed paths with Ron and Russell, collaborating with them, participating in concerts, and recording albums together. Yet to each one of them, the Sparks eventually said—recalling the title of my favorite song by them—””Bon Voyage””, as they continued to experiment, often defying the expectations of their fans and the conservative music market.

“The Sparks Brothers” is a 100% Edgar Wright film, brilliantly capturing the spirit of the Maels’ work. The British director and the American musicians turned out to be people with similar sensibilities and, just as importantly, very similar senses of humor. Just like in Leos Carax’s “Annette”, Ron and Russell’s collaboration with the filmmaker resulted in an original work that plays with various conventions. Wright’s documentary also serves an educational function: there’s a good chance that after watching it, Sparks will become your new favorite band.