Doomtree: Team The Best Team

Doomtree: Team The Best Team shines a bright spotlight on one of the most unique factions in the contemporary music industry. The film offers an intimate and thoughtfully curated peek into the eclectic world of Doomtree, a popular Minneapolis-based independent hip-hop collective.

Opening with a brilliantly set narrative frame performed by Mat Bates, this 68-minute documentary presents a panoramic view of the unpredictable yet passionately driven artists that make up Doomtree. Directed by Chris Hadland, the film thoughtfully walks the audience through the collective's journey, drawing a clear image of how individual elements combine to form this influential music powerhouse.

The standout characters in the documentary are Dessa, Lazerbeak, and Mat Bates, each member claiming their spotlight throughout the documentary. They not only share their personal stories and struggles but also discuss the uniqueness of their craft; mooring the viewers into paying attention.

Dessa, Doomtree's only female member and an exceptional spoken-word artist, shares her challenges and triumphs. Her story is woven beautifully with her opinions and perspectives about the music industry and being a part of the Doomtree collective. The fierce lyricist grapples with balancing her demanding career, personal life, and managing variables inherent to being a key vocalist in the collective.

Next up is Lazerbeak, known for his legendary beat-making abilities. He discusses the evolutionary pathway of his talents, charting the birth, growth, and mastery of his skills as the crew's primary producer. Both cerebral and deeply personal, Lazerbeak's insights paint a vivid background for the crew's musical experiments and ventures.

Mat Bates, the outlier of sorts, who isn't a musician himself, further enriches the narrative with an invaluable outsider's perspective. Serving as the group’s booking agent, Bates highlights significant touring moments and the ruthless nature of the entertainment world. He highlights the DIY ethos the group embodies as they navigate the music industry, and its challenges, remaining fiercely independent and unyielding to corporate pressure.

The title 'Team The Best Team' itself provides an underpinning to the film's narrative rhythm, unraveling the group's deep-seated collaborative culture. The film emphasizes the crew's interdependent relationships and mutual respect, with every member playing crucial roles. Insights about the crew's contrasting array of artistic personalities bring to the fore how their varied influences and styles collide and coalesce to form a rich, unified sound.

Integral aspects like the crew's DIY approach, their potent mix of rap, rock, and pop, and the crowd-energizing force of their live concerts are beautifully embedded into the narrative fabric of the film. The documentary is much more than just a life-story of an indie hip-hop collective. It's a human story displaying intense perseverance, challenging the norms, standing tall amid adversities, and above all, the triumph of collective efforts.

Doomtree: Team The Best Team is consistent in maintaining its rhythm, engaging the viewers with a cocktail of backstage moments, video clips, music tracks, and diverse opinions from fans, critics, and music peers. Director Chris Hadland does a formidable job in tying together these multifaceted aspects, ensuring that the documentary establishes an emotional connection with the audience, allowing a level of intimacy to be experienced with the artists.

Although Doomtree's story is one of struggle and survival against odds, there is a spirit of optimism running like an undercurrent throughout the film. Even as it spotlights the harsh realities that independent artists face, it celebrates the strength of unity, grit, and unwavering belief in their creative convictions.

In a nutshell, Doomtree: Team The Best Team is a must-watch for both Doomtree fans and curious cinephiles passionate about music documentaries. It's an intriguing profile of a group that has continually pushed boundaries, carving a unique niche in the music landscape. The film, with its distinct narrative experiences, rich visual elements, and heartfelt testimonies, triumphs in encapsulating the spirit of Doomtree — creative, defiant, and ceaselessly resilient.