Who is Chilly Gonzales and – how many variations are there? Punk and pianist, provocateur and a pop star: opinions are divided on “Gonzo.“ And that‘s done on purpose, as the beginning of the documentary biography by Philipp Jedicke proclaims. Chilly wants to be equally loved and hated and he has succeeded in doing that for almost 2 decades. SHUT UP AND PLAY THE PIANO shows us the musician‘s resume. The son of a successful Canadian property mogul, Jason Charles Beck, that‘s his birthname, learned to play the piano from his grandfather at 3 years old. Just like his brother Cristophe did, a highly regarded film composer (ANT-MAN AND THE WASP) whom has has always been in healthy competition with. Unlike his brother, Jason rejected having a career as a conventional composer. He preferred making art and staying in the underground. Berlin in the late 90s was the perfect place for that. He hit the clubs with Peaches and discovered his love for rap. He returned to classic compositions with Leslie Feist and got music experts on his side with his albums “Solo Piano I and II“ who were scared off by his loud ways. It‘s hard to put such a verstaile artist in a conventional film. That‘s why the film is a wild mix of interviews, mostly with author Sybille Berg, theatre shows of all genres and performances, some of which work and some of which backfire. Jedicke, who spent some time in Canada and France like Gonzales, finds an honest approach to the musical genius: you can think what you want about Chilly Gonzales‘ appearances, but once he sits by the piano, his creativity is virtually unrivalled.

Lars Tunçay

Translation: Elinor Lewy