Storyline
Miss Sharon Jones: Dreams never expire but sometimes they are deferred. Miss Sharon Jones follows the talented and gregarious soul singer of the Grammy nominated R&B band "Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings." In the most challenging year of her life, Sharon Jones confronts pancreatic cancer. As she struggles to find her health and voice again, the film intimately uncovers the mind and spirit of a powerful woman determined to regain the explosive singing career that eluded her for 50 years.
Greetings again from the darkness. Being described as "the female James
Brown" is a double-edged sword. On one side, the talent and stage
presence must be obvious. On the other side, the burden of expectations
that can never be eclipsed is always present. Soul/Funk/R&B singer
Sharon Jones doesn't much care about any of that … and in this
documentary we witness both her strength in life and her powerhouse
performances on stage.
Filmmaker Barbara Kopple is a two time Oscar winner (Harlan County USA,
1976 and American Dream, 1990) and here she presents not so much a
music or concert documentary, as an intimate look at how a person can
be inspired and driven by music to fight through life's challenges –
and even cancer. In 2013, Miss Jones was diagnosed and much of the film
follows her through head-shaving, chemotherapy and the battle to regain
her voice and strength.
Born in North Augusta, South Carolina, Sharon was raised in Brooklyn.
Her background was anything but privileged, and as an adult she spent
years working as a Corrections Officer at Rikers Island, while
continuing to sing in her spare time. A record producer once told her
she was 'too black, too fat, too short' to make it, but she just kept
singing … releasing her first album at age 40.
Sharon's spirit and energy are the core of the story here as even after
her cancer diagnosis, she carried the pressure of needing to get back
to singing and performing so that her band members in The Dap-Kings
could earn a living and feed their families.
Her NYC comeback is impressive and life-affirming, but the highlights
are clips of her earlier stage performances … and the most incredible
in-church performance you are likely to ever witness. In 2014, she won
her first Grammy for "Give the People What They Want", and Ms. Kopple's
film shines a spotlight on an incredible talent and spirited lady who
deserves much more than to have a cult following and be
"underappreciated". Perhaps the film will open some eyes, ears and
hearts.
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