Complaints Choir

Filmmaker Ada Bligaard documents the evolution of the Complaints Choir project, which began in Finland when a young husband-and-wife artist duo, Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, came up with the idea to gather verbal gripes and quotidian irritations—related to job dissatisfaction, body image, weather, garden pests, loneliness, public transport, urban sanitation, etc.—from around the world and channel the anger into performance art in the form of a song sung by the complainers. The narrative follows the formation of two so-called Complaints Choirs, one in Chicago, the other in Singapore. Despite the diverse population of the bustling, boisterous Windy City, the only folks who turn out to sing are a narrow stratum of white yuppie NPR-listeners, much to the Finns' chagrin. Singapore authorities, meanwhile, regulate free expression and discourage dissent, making the conformist nation's Complaints Choir an exercise in Swiftian bureaucratic red tape that becomes the more interesting story. DVD extras include bonus scenes, interviews with the Kalleinens, and a featurette on Complaints Choirs around the world; also included are three audio CDs of international Complaints Choirs. Although uneven, this offbeat documentary should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)