SXSW '25: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, or, the Millennial's Ishtar (Complimentary)

Following its first screening, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie proved itself as the SXSW breakout of the year, with the word-of-mouth buzz resulting in a frenzy around the film’s second showtime. Indie producer & distributor NEON has since snagged the release rights for Matthew Johnson’s next feature, potential copyright infringements and all.

The tight-knit production of Nirvanna results in off-the-rails, innovative filmmaking that thrives when it takes its limitations and throws them off of Toronto’s CN Tower. It pulls what works from the mockumentary genre and integrates them into the real world, relying on random, unsuspecting bystanders to elevate the duo’s shenanigans and ground the film’s kooky premise. Nirvanna’s creation relied on cashing-in on the absurdity of regular life to bring an even more absurd story to—hopefully—silver screens everywhere. 

From the get-go, Nirvanna feels reminiscent of Elaine May’s Ishtar, a long unjustly maligned comedy gem about two grown men set on manifesting their musical aspirations despite middling songwriting talent. Instead of Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, we have Matt Johnson and Jay Jared, two longtime friends whose main goal is to perform at the mid-tier venue and pool hall: the Rivoli. By way of elaborately planned publicity stunts, the duo hopes to catch the attention of the Toronto staple or die trying. 

Nirvanna begins by introducing us to Johnson and Jared in 2008, as two bright-eyed, optimistic dreamers who spend their days riffing off jaunty piano melodies born out of the indie pop era of Matt & Kim and The Shins. We meet the original characters who were conceived on YouTube videos before moving into a TV series and now a feature film—a project only made possible with the de facto blank check Johnson received after the success of 2023’s BlackBerry. 

We’re quickly launched 17 years forward, as Johnson and Jared still live together with an unwavering belief in their joint dream—well, at least Johnson does. The main tension in the film comes from Jared’s deep down belief that he could—and would—succeed without the shenanigans spearheaded by Johnson’s character. The remainder of the film puts Jared’s hypothesis to the test. 

While the protagonists of Ishtar find themselves en route to a fictional country on the verge of civil war in order to achieve their musical dreams, Johnson and Jared end up somewhere just as foreign and discombobulating: Toronto in 2008. The filmmakers cut no corners in recreating the 2008 vibe, a time when blockbusters like The Hangover earned laughs by ways of derogatory slurs and Bill Cosby still received reverential coverage from magazines. While the set up the time jump required a lot of savvy editing and perfectly timed references in of itself, the true thrills come when Johnson and Jared inevitably run into the younger versions of themselves, relying on the usage of footage recorded well over 15 years ago. 

The time traveling aspect of the film is pulled off to such a seamless effect, with the dialogue of the younger Matt and Jay melding perfectly with the current iterations that it’s daunting to imagine how they pieced it all together. When making the original YouTube series in 2008, Matt and Jay recorded upwards of 85 days worth of unused footage (as disclosed by the editor of the film during a post-screening Q&A), that was then meticulously combed through and edited together to meld seamlessly with the newly written script. It seems at times that they somehow knew that everything would come full circle 17 years later, recording material just to return to after 15 years. The final result is so smooth, offering perfect intersection points between the past and present protagonists, with the younger versions unaware they are crossing paths with their older selves. 

These time-traveling scenes also provide one of the sweetest moments of the film, when Johnson explains to a young, unsuspecting Jared that aging feels unimportant with a best friend at your side. Also akin to Ishtar, Nirvanna is predominantly a film about male adult friendship. The most touching moments come when Jared sees Johnson’s undying devotion to not only their dreams, but to their shared life. 

Nirvanna thrives when it’s taking the boldest of avenues to propel the story even further. One of its best moments comes as such a shock to the system, yet is absolutely vital in careening the film into another dizzying direction. The stakes are continuously raised, to absurdist effect. To explain all of the twists and turns feels futile, as it's much better experienced without any hint of what’s coming next. 

The film’s goofy sensibility takes a minute to tap into, and some of the humor feels particularly catered to Canadian millennials, who too were young adults in 2008. However, most viewers should—in the least—have a good silly time watching a project so unabashedly bold in its vision and remarkable in its execution that could only come from thinking outside the box.

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