#amandaplowman

I found Time is Illmatic very impactful. The interview style played a role in that for me, I think the very close, side shots of Nas, where you can’t see much (if anything) behind him created an important sense of intimacy that helped to connect me to the story and made the entire film feel more personal. I also loved how much the film paid tribute to Queensbridge, which was obviously incredibly important to the birth and life of Illmatic and absolutely could not be understated in telling this story. I also liked the incorporation of the live performance shots (with lyric subtitles) that helped drive the story forward – with Nas explaining the origin story of the songs as it switched between interview/performance/and shots of Queensbridge. I think the music was synced perfectly with the story telling; the way the sound was edited tied the entire piece together.