As a person who has never heard of the band Pavement, the film “Pavements” – let’s say – were overwhelming. It is probably intended for people who are already known to the band from the 90s, because my knowledge of the band has expanded little even after watching the film. And yet I couldn’t take my gaze off the screen over the entire film duration of 128 minutes.
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Everything and nothing at the same time
His premiere celebrated “Pavements” by director Alex Ross Perry (“Her Smell”) on September 4, 2024 at the Venice’s International Film Festival. In the United States that, we say experiment, came to cinemas on June 6, 2025. What exactly is happening in the film cannot be said to donate without confusion. On the whole, however, he acts, roughly speaking, from the Pavement group.
Founded in 1989, Pavement are one of the most influential groups in their genre. The head of the indie and alternative rockers is Stephen Malkmus. In the film it is described more than once as “the most important and most influential band in the world”.
“Pavements” is not a pure documentation, it is not a classic biopic, it is not a musical, and it is also not a mere string of old archive recordings. It is all of it and none of it – and that at the same time. Perry creates an extraordinary interaction of various film genres, where you never know what happens next. In addition to classic documentary elements such as archive material from Pavement shows in the 90s, band rehearsals for the Reunion in 2022 and previous interviews, filming of a non-real biopics called “Range Life: A Pavement Story” and insights into the opening of a museum in honor of the band. In addition, Perry follows the making-of of a pavement jukebox musical entitled “Slanted! Enchanted! A Pavement Musical”. The best thing about it: The musical not only actually exists – it was also performed several times in front of a real audience.
Does pavement reveal themselves?
A thread is not really recognizable in “Pavements”. Sometimes so much happens that it remains unclear what exactly should be shown. What Perry creates with his experimental film, however: As a layperson, I can imagine why Pavement attracted polarized and massive music fans in the 90s. The band around Stephen Malkmus actually never wanted to fall, and they never wanted to indulge in the commerce anyway. This also brings Perry to the screen as a director. One could argue that it is hardly more commercial than shooting a standardized documentation over a band of the 90s. Among other things, the film shows the beginnings of the band at the University of Virginia, the big move to New York and the influence that growing up in Stockton, California, on pavement. However, as soon as the film gives the impression that it is the normal history of the career of another band, the fake biopic is grown into the illusion.
For the fact that the biopic “Range Life: A Pavement Story” does not really exist and should never be seriously created, Joe Keery’s casting (“Stranger Things”) was extremely well done as Stephen Malkmus. In the satirical representation of the preparations for classic biopics, Keery can be seen, among other things, how to meet a dialect coach, study meticulously archive material from Malkmus and tries to adopt its facial expressions and behavior patterns perfectly. Fred Hechinger plays in “Pavements” the “band member” Bob Nastanovich, Nat Wolff (“Margos Traces”) takes on the role of guitarist Scott Kannberg, Logan Miller embodies bassist Mark Ibold, and Griffin Newman represents the drummer Steve West. Lombardi.
Narrow line between fiction and reality
Alex Ross Perry works strikingly often with split screens and old archive material in “Pavements”. Again and again real recordings of the band are compared to the fake biopic. Some of these scenes are shown on a screen at the same time or in the form of a series of scenes. In short inattentive moments, you can quickly forget what is real and what part of the biopics. And even if the supposed classic Hollywood adaptation of the band history is only a satirical view of this film genre, you sometimes ask yourself: What could have a complete, real biopic about pavement? Because the approaches were there, even if they were never really serious.
Between the Pavement Musical and Pavement Museum
However, it may be much absurd that the musical to the band was not the designed part of the film. With “Slanted! Enchanted! A Pavement Musical”, Alex Ross Perry created a musical in honor of the band. It only includes pavement songs with the original lyrics and does not require any spoken dialogues. Perry accompanies almost the entire development process of the musical in the film “Pavements”. From the casting to the conception to the rehearsals and the performance of the end result. The question always arises: Why do the songs from Pavement work so well for a Jukebox musical? And why does the whole thing still look incredibly entertaining? And then there would still be the museum exhibition on the success of Pavement, which is captured in film. At the end of the film, Stephen Malkmus sees for the first time the influence he and pavement actually had. Fans gather in front of the-sometimes real, sometimes fake-exhibits and indulges in 90s nostalgia. Perhaps Malkmus is only really aware of what he has done and created with pavement.
Chaotic, unadjusted and confusing
In the end, I didn’t learn much about pavement and history, and yet I have the feeling that I know what makes it so special. Alex Ross Perry’s portrayal is chaotic, shrewd, unadjusted, partially confusing and sometimes overstimulating. You could never be sure what to expect next. And that is exactly what makes it so special. In the end, the film “Pavements” is just as unconventional as the band Pavement itself.
“Pavements” can be seen on the Mubi streaming service from July 11, 2025.