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Avett Brothers documentary gives fans 'incredible access' to the band

Scott and Seth Avett in the film 'May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers,' a documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.
Scott and Seth Avett in the film 'May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers,' a documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio.Oscilloscope Pictures

by Bill DeVille and Lindsay Kimball

September 11, 2017

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, a documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, will screen in theaters nationwide.

Filmed over the course of more than two years, May It Last offers an intimate portrait of the Avett Brothers, charting their decade-and-a-half rise, while chronicling their present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated 2016 album, True Sadness. The film enjoyed its world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, where it received the 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award.

The Current's Lindsay Kimball and Bill DeVille recently had a chance to view the film, and they share their thoughts about it in the video above. "The documentary had incredible access to Scott and Seth and their families and all the band members," Kimball says. "They're kind of private, but you understand the context of where this music's coming from and where the inspiration's coming from, and sort of how the band is kind of like another family."

The film follows the narrative of Scott and Seth Avett, as brothers and as musical collaborators. As the film tracks the progress of True Sadness, we see further into Scott and Seth's lives as well as into the lives of the other band members, notably Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon.

And while the film provides plenty of personal insights into the band members and their personal life stories, the music remains front and center. "The most rewarding thing about this film is seeing the process work and how they pour their hearts and souls into their songs," DeVille says.

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers will screen in more than 250 theaters nationwide on Tuesday, Sept, 12, for one night only. Screening information is available on the May It Last website.

Resources

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers - official site

The Avett Brothers - official site