A lot of musicians, and even famous musicians have hearing problems. Everyone knows that Beethoven went deaf late in his career. But many rock musicians, such as Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and Phil Collins all suffer from tinnitus and some suffer nearly total hearing loss in one ear. Not surprisingly, Ozzy Osbourne and Pete Townsend of The Who (‘The Loudest Band in the World’) are also on that list. But for the most part, these musicians were all successful and famous before these problems cropped up, and the problems themselves developed through playing loud concerts to thousands of fans. Would their careers have been different if they’d lost their hearing before becoming successful? It’s hard to say. But that’s the problem facing Gretchen in Ryan Park’s short film Crescendo.
Gretchen, we learn, immigrated to the United States from South Korea in her teens along with her family. She had a dream to become a songwriter. But while working in an audio engineering studio, she discovered that she was suffering from hearing problems. She endured one surgery after another, but still, the world still sounded like it was underwater to her. At the point where we meet her in the film, she’s also just turning 35 and wondering if she should continue to pursue her dreams.
While searching for guidance and inspiration, she decided to take a road trip to Charlottesville Virginia to check out a music festival. While there, Gretchen ins encouraged to keep pursuing her dreams. Even if she only plays to a small audience, she’ll still be doing what she loves. And right on cue, we see her playing as a busker on the street for one couple who are slow dancing. At the end of the film, it seems that Gretchen will continue with her pursuit despite her hearing troubles.
But what exactly are we to make of this film? The tritest answer would be that this is a tale of perseverance and an example of why you never give up on your dreams. But this was not the message that I got from the film. There is no doubt that Gretchen in a talented and soulful musician. The bits and pieces of songs we hear throughout the film really are very good. And Gretchen also shows herself to be a very strong person, despite her misleading stature. But what is not completely clear is whether Gretchen is aiming at being a performer in front of large audiences or whether she wants to be the kind of songwriter who lives in Nashville and sells songs for a living. Despite the fact that she says she wants to be a songwriter, my sense is that she’s most eager to be a performer. But, to be brutally honest, at the age of 35, Gretchen might be much better off being the kind of songwriter described above. For some context, Drake, one of the most successful performers today, is now 34 years old and his first album was released in 2010 when he was in his early twenties. When Elton John released his landmark album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, he was 26. And it was his 7th studio album.
As harsh as it may seem, the real lesson of this film is that at a certain point, one must accept that if the first dream didn’t work out, it’s time to find another. In the film Gretchen seems to focused on pursuing an unclear path instead of focusing on finding a way to make a living in the music industry in a way that will be satisfying and also within her reach. For me, this gave the film a sort of lost aimless feel, rather than a hopeful and inspiring one.
The deeper question posed by the film is whether we can ever be truly fulfilled if we have to give up or downgrade our dreams. But the musician Gretchen speaks with in Charlottesville, I think, answers this question for us. Personally, if I were a musician and I didn’t ‘make it’ as a huge star, I would still find it very satisfying to play in one of the bands that Gretchen listens to at the festival. They’re still communing with the muse and for most people, that should be enough.