Breaking a Monster

Just when you thought you had seen every permutation of the “making of a band” documentary, along comes Breaking a Monster, a thoroughly engaging portrait of Unlocking the Truth, a heavy metal outfit composed of African American middle schoolers.

It’s a charming and engaging mix – the antithesis of Metallica’s ego overload, and just as watchable.

Breaking a Monster is a revealing window into the industry. But it lacks a certain human component.

What unfolds is a transparent example of why the music industry continues to spiral downward toward a fiery hell.

What’s troubling is the film’s slow and steady exposure of a music business machine that gobbles up individuality and spits out a sellable package.

What makes Luke Meyer’s documentary interesting isn’t so much the music or even the incipient stardom, but rather the push-pull between high-stakes biz pressure and subjects who — being 13 years old or so — hardly have the attention spans for the drudgery and minutiae a “career” requires.

Meyer...and his easy rapport with the kids and Sacks helps coax sometimes surprisingly candid comments from his subjects. What’s missing however is adequate background on how the boys became such impressive young musicians and why they gravitated toward heavy metal rather than pop or rap.