How much of our lives do we waste away worrying about bad decisions and what might have been? Ultimately, what counts for the present is what we have done. The choir reminds us of this in Laurie Simmons’ 40-minute musical film The Music of Regret. In three acts, the artist stages stories about missed opportunities, lost loves and failed dreams.
The film opens with a family drama in the style of the 50s, in which a seemingly insignificant decision entirely alters the lives of the protagonists. The second act focuses on the actress Meryl Streep, who reminisces about past lovers. “Regret can surface at odd times, like when you come very close to getting what you want and then lose it – a near miss experience”, Simmons explains. In the third act, we encounter a dancer, in the form of a pocket watch, who misses an audition for a stage show because of his timidity. In a dream-like sequence, he envisions himself making a furious appearance in the final act.
The songs, which are sung by Meryl Streep and the Broadway composer Adam Guettel, among others, are inspired by American light music from the 1930s to the 1960s; they recall the heartfelt pathos of great Broadway musicals. With the exception of Streep, all the film’s protagonists are puppets or objects Simmons brought to life. The American artist became known for her photographs of dolls in interiors; it was simply a matter of time before she brought her characters to life. “In fact, I’ve often spoken of the characters’ potential to sing and dance, so my first film turned out, unsurprisingly, to be musical”, the artist noted in an interview: “I have always believed the combination of sound and picture can evoke the strongest possible feelings”.
