Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between (2023)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between follows the career of the titular Garland Jeffreys as he rose to prominence and stardom, promoting equality and acceptance. As Jeffreys navigates a world of drugs, promiscuity, and racism, he hopes to use his music as a vehicle for progress. 

Another day, another documentary about music. It seems that every corner I turn there’s another documentary touching on the topic of music, and Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between is just the next installation in an overly saturated genre of film. Additionally, Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between is just as much a film about race, another subgenre of film that has seemingly taken over the world. 

For years, films have commented on race. Films like In the Heat of the Night and 12 Angry Men have discussed the idea of race relations and the role it plays in the world around us. However, over the course of the past decade or so, cinema has so drastically shifted to a less subtle approach, and the sometimes aggressive nature of these social commentaries have become more commonplace, and I’ve honestly grown tired. I understand how important films of this nature are to the world, to the potential development of our society–but too much of anything is just that: too much. Really a comparison of apples and oranges, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a perfect example of this, as the term “superhero fatigue” has crept into a series of conversations over the past five years or so. Again, while the topic of race and the superhero subgenre of filmmaking are wildly different, it’s an apt comparison in the sense that too much of a good thing is still too much. Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between simply suffers from the oversaturation of this part of filmmaking. 

What Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between does so well is framing Jeffreys is a positive light. No one is attempting to say that he didn’t have his flaws, that he wasn’t a bit too promiscuous, that he didn’t engage in illegal drug use–and, yet, this documentary manages to pick pieces of his life that accentuate his positive qualities. Pieces of Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between feel nonlinear, and it seems clear that Director Claire Jeffreys (Garland’s wife) did this with the intention of shining a positive light on Garland. I can often find this practice offputting, as it can cause things to feel fabricated, yet Claire manages to create something brilliantly effective. 

Furthermore, the film’s tagline reads as follows: “...the name Garland Jeffreys either means nothing to you or everything to you." That’s truly a fitting statement, as I had no idea who the titular musician was when I turned on Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between, yet, by the end of the documentary I found myself puzzled, confused as to how his name and his art had escaped me all these years. Garland’s talent is unwavering, and it’s abundantly clear why he had and continues to have such a profound impact on the world of music. 

Sadly, Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between exists in a world saturated by music documentaries and films about race–crippling its ability to be groundbreaking or breathtaking as a result. Claire Jeffreys does a wonderful job of framing her husband in a way that allows him to appeal to the audience, even through the honest expression of the shortcomings of his past. Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between teeters on great success and unfortunate failure as a result of the time in which it exists, but the directorial prowess of Garland’s beloved wife pulls it back to the land of success by its conclusion. 

Directed by Claire Jeffreys. 

Starring Garland Jeffreys, Claire Jeffreys, Savannah Jeffreys, Laurie Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, etc. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE