Punk Rock Vegan Movie (Slamdance 2023)

We return to Slamdance for our penultimate day of coverage. Kicking the week off with Mad Cats, then onto The Underbug, Starring Jerry as Himself, The Mad Writer and Stars in the Ordinary Universe, which brings us to one of the festival’s headline films, from Moby – the say what you see of Punk Rock Vegan Movie.

In the UK, veganism has a funny reputation, and it has nothing to do with veganism. They have a reputation for being petty, disruptive and arrogant, using their veganism to lord it over people and project a sense of superiority towards people who eat meat and dairy products. It’s not a political statement for many who identify with that way of consumption, and in doing that, they alienate people who are potentially considering the lifestyle. As is often the case in this country, whether Brexit or football hooliganism, a vocal minority ruin it for everyone.

Moby, the electronic musician behind many hit singles in the 00s, is not where I’d expect such a passionate and coherent argument for adopting a vegan lifestyle to originate. Contrary to those elitist UK vegans, he doesn’t spend the 90 minutes of his directorial debut ranting; rather, he places it within the larger context of punk rock. Modern history has taken punk rock away from its roots as a form of expression for those who don’t feel represented by mainstream society. Over the years, punk has been reduced to a caricature adorned with safety pins, Mohicans and sub-genres as staggering self-contradictory as “pop punk”. Punk has become a scene of conformity, ironically. As someone who played in hardcore punk bands before breaking out, a fact I never knew, Moby presents a series of interviews from a who’s-who of punk rock icons and legends. From members of Fugazi & Refused to Bad Brains & Crass and more household names like Rob Zombie and Davey Havok, through all of them, they talk about Punk Rock’s power as a power for fighting injustice. It might just be a series of talking head bits shot over four years, but still, the relevance of what they are discussing is timeless.

That’s the punk rock side presented, how about veganism? Something which, as a millennial brit, feels like chalice poisoned by an ill-judged vocal minority. One of the core facets of punk is to question authority and ask questions – now, why does that question stop at politics and economics? Why not question the status quo, in particular, why the killing of animals is so normalised? Ask why a dog in horrible conditions is a disgusting issue that needs combating, but a pig or a cow in extreme conditions is acceptable. A case that many voices make argue passionately. Veganism isn’t about food, it’s about fighting for the rights of animals who can’t stand up for themselves, and punk, at its historical core, was about fighting for rights. An article can only get some far, but a song that can be shared and listened to repeatedly – there is great power there.

I think the long and short of it is, thanks to this documentary – I may be seriously considering going vegan.

Moby is a mixed bag with his directorial debut. Occasionally there’s an insertion of little animated pieces with the aesthetic of a punk zine. They are raw but so is punk rock. Critically speaking, there are too many talking heads. When they are all fundamentally making the same point and dropping the same references, it becomes repetitive to the extent that 30 minutes could be removed and it would have zero impact. The inclusion of footage from factories, abattoirs and the like is powerful. As one of the voices says, people are generally against animal cruelty, and if these images were more widely seen, fighting for animal rights would be a much bigger deal. The last creative tick of the Punk Rock Vegan movie is comedy. Moby and his talking dog, a skit on FOX NEWs-like outlet dressed as the devil, and a bit with some kids and a lecturer talking about the intersectionality between punk rock and veganism. Sadly, they don’t land beyond picking up the mood after some heavy talking points.

It’s hard to summarise the Punk Rock Vegan movie. Critically it’s solid if unremarkable, but as far as the topic and how it is discussed – I’m going to be doing some soul-searching, and it’s rare for a film to make you question the way you live your life. I’m not being hyperbolic either, I genuinely mean this. As such, I don’t believe I can be subjective about The Punk Rock Vegan Movie. It happens on rare occasions.

Rob’s Archive: Punk Rock Vegan Movie