One to One: John & Yoko

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In 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved from their huge estate in England to New York, into a modest two-room apartment in Greenwich Village. One of the main reasons for the move was the hatred Yoko Ono faced after the Beatles split up. The couple quickly became involved in the left-wing activist scene in New York – and spent days watching American television. The apartment in the Village was elaborately reconstructed for the captivating documentary by Sam Rice-Edwards and Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September). More interesting is the dense montage of historical television clips and archive material that brings the early 1970s back to life with its political violence, Nixon's re-election, the anti-war movement, and counterculture. Precisely edited between these are concert scenes, previously unpublished recordings of John and Yoko, and recordings of telephone conversations. We learn how the prominent couple sought their role within the left-wing activist scene. At one point, Lennon turns away from a planned protest event due to the threat of riots and asks where the women are. Another time, he is seen with his wife attending an international feminist conference – rather untypical for rock stars of that era. But the highlight of the film is undoubtedly the restored footage of the “One to One” benefit concert at Madison Square Garden in August 1972: Lennon plays alongside Ono with a great band, performing younger songs like ‘Imagine’ and older ones like “Come Together” with such sharpness, focus, and intensity that the journey through time becomes pure present.