I Wish I Could Have Been There

If you are looking for great musical performances of the rock myths from the late 60’s, Taking Woodstock may let you considerably disappointed. Indeed, the movie brings no sex, few drugs and just a little bit of rock and roll. However, director Ang Lee’s merit lays on his peculiar approach to the legendary rock festival. Instead of presenting just another documentary about the event, Lee provided us with a true story from the history behind the festival. The movie depicts the life of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), a young man whose parents own a precarious hotel in the city of Bethel, New York. In an attempt to save the family’s business, Tiber tries to promote a small music festival to raise some funds. However, as he hears that the huge rock festival that would take place in Woodstock is suddenly without a site to be performed, he contacts the organization of the event and manages to bring it to his hometown. Using the authorization he acquired for the small festival and earning support from a massive landowner neighbor, Tiber successfully manages the festival that would become the symbol of a generation. Differently from previous productions concerning the Woodstock, the movie gives an inside view of the event, carrying us to those four days of freedom, peace and love. It is possible to incorporate the character’s sensations. Tiber’s acid trip sums up the magical environment that the movie builds. The festival was the zenith of the hippie movement. By the end of the film, we feel somehow upset that we (or at least most of us) were not part of that wonderful experience.