New Releases

SATAN AND ADAM

Directed by V. Scott Balcerek

USA, 2018, 1h 20min, DCP

New Releases

There are no current or future screenings planned for this film.

In 1986, when harmonica player Adam Gussow asked if he could jam with one-man band Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee, it was the beginning of an unforgettable collaboration–dubbed Satan & Adam.

Amidst the racial tension in New York City, this Jewish Ivy League graduate and black Mississippi blues man made an unlikely pair, but their musical stylings perfectly aligned. After a chance encounter and a celebrated debut record, the duo rose to international acclaim from their Harlem street corner. But as quickly as they were discovered, their meteoric rise was cut short when Mr. Satan mysteriously disappeared.

The resulting documentary is an odyssey 23 years in the making that captures a miraculous journey of friendship, heartbreak and the transformative power of music.

Reviews

“The blues seep into every scene of “SATAN AND ADAM, a gritty yet lovely documentary. And even after the songs stop, the music’s bittersweet emotions linger.” – Ken Jawoworski, New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

“What’s refreshing here is the filmmaker’s refusal to smugly color the symbiosis between these two men in Green Book bullshit. Taking that shady metaphor a step further, Satan & Adam eschews ebony-and-ivory banality to depict a friendship that refuses to be tinted in black and white.” – Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle

“Their unconventional professional collaboration and sustained friendship serves as a moving testament to the boundary-shattering language of music.” – Michael Rechtshaffen, Los Angeles Times

satan-and-adam-2
X

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS