Rebel Country (dir. Francis Whately)
By: Adam Freed
The term “rebel” holds a plethora of meanings, many of which exist in the eye of the beholder. A teen breaking curfew rebels against their parents' rules. A rebel could be someone speaking out against a tyrannical government, or could be someone hopping the subway turnstile to avoid paying their fare. Quite the spectrum indeed. Yet in the world of country music the term has come to denote an artist who lives on the wild side, perhaps a law-adjacent citizen that performs hard but parties harder. It must be remembered that country music has long been home to people shunned by mainstream society. Francis Whately’s insightful documentary Rebel Country, dares to go where many in the world of country music refuse, that is to broaden the social connotation of the word ‘rebel’, and recognize members of their own community historically kept at arm's length, from infiltrating the hallowed walls of the Grand Ole’ Opry.
In 2018 Lil’ Nas X took country music, and the Billboard charts by storm. His smash hit song “Old Town Road” made the openly gay musician a household name but also the target of a great deal of controversy. As is explored in Whately’s film, some individuals went to great lengths to keep Lil’ Nas X as far from country music as possible, including shunning his inclusion in the genre entirely. Rebel Country tells the story of the underrepresented and undervalued outsiders of country music’s hallowed walls. The documentary film benefits greatly from an impressive array of artists who contribute to its story via interview. Modern stars such as Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson act as advocates for underrepresented communities to find their foothold in the historically white conservative art form.
In one of the more poignant moments in Francis Whately’s Rebel Country, it is revealed by Sam Williams, grandson of the legendary Hank Williams, that even his grandfather, country music’s patron saint, was taught to play his guitar by a black blues musician by the name of Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne. The influence of individuals like Payne, Chely Wright and Lil’ Nas X, all “outsiders” by traditional country music standards, have blazed an indelible path on the genre’s history, and plan to do so for generations to come. Rebel Country is an ambitious story about the people who consider themselves outsiders who have found the courage to positively impact country music, one of America’s final fortresses of integration and acceptance.
Target Score: 7/10 Rebel Country is a meaningful lesson in the history of the art form that argues outsider influence is not to be feared by the American genre of music, but rather embraced, as it is a genre that was created by outsiders to begin with.
Rebel Country was screened as part of Movie Archer's coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival