Not for the faint hearted, this docu-film is all about Alex Barbu, a twenty-five year old Reading Festival Virgin experiencing all the event has to offer for the first time.
Littered with bad language, subtle and not so subtle sexual references and, of course, disturbing drinking sessions, The Pilgrimage to Reading Festival 2013 is supposed to explain why festival goers go back year after year.
Following Alex’s camera strapped to his head, the viewer enters a journey into the decadence of his crew, self proclaimed “professional drinkers and their mindless alcohol abuse”, and other punters who can barely string a sentence together, never mind answer any questions. It ends up documenting a very British, tribal way of approaching live music where no shameful behaviour is spared.
Hardly a journalistic piece, the documentary is a good effort for an amateur documenting his holiday at a music camp, with some well captured concert experiences; best of all, when Alex illustrates Eminem’s wing man’s flop in trying to entertain the crowd.
With the same annoying blank screen editing effect all throughout, an over exposed and badly staged pre festival interview, poor sound quality and a Borat-like voiceover, The Pilgrimage to Reading Festival 2013 is painfully and unjustifiably too long. Yet, it can be a very insightful view into what to expect from a British, three-day music festival, especially if you are under 25.
