Late in “The Music of Strangers,” we see an old TV clip of the celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma, appearing on “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” in the mid-1980s. The two totally sunny-natured men share a smile and some music.
That was about the point this documentary reached Peak Nice. The film is so inspirational, so convinced of music’s power to transcend borders and cultural differences, that it practically pins a merit badge on your chest for watching it.
This is pleasant, of course, and who doesn’t believe that music is the true universal language? But 96 minutes of uplift is a lot.
“The Music of Strangers” celebrates Yo-Yo Ma’s ambitious Silk Road Project, a loose-knit group of musicians from places associated with the historical Silk Road: China, Iran, countries of central Asia and the Middle East.
It’s an attempt to find common ground in these different traditions. Ma and his confederates do live tours, cut albums, and bring an educational component to their efforts.
Yo-Yo Ma is very much the center of the film. A child prodigy who grew up into one of the world’s most acclaimed musicians, Ma notes wistfully that he didn’t really choose music as his life’s work. The film sometimes implies that the Silk Road Project is his method of defining himself in a different way.
We meet some cool performers in the Silk Road Ensemble. Kayan Kalhor, from Iran, plays the kamancheh, a smallish stringed instrument. He would like to live in his native country, but the political unrest there makes it impossible.
Kinan Azmeh is a clarinetist who has lived for years in New York City. His Syrian homeland is even more chaotic than Kalhor’s Iran. (See, the movie does have its share of heartbreak.)
The supremely energetic Cristina Pato plays the Galician bagpipes (or gaita), and dyes her hair in various shades of green. This makes perfect sense after you’ve watched her for a while.
To their credit, Ma and director Morgan Neville (who did the Oscar-winning “20 Feet from Stardom”) include a few questions about why the world needs this kind of cultural mixing and matching. There’s always a danger that great folk music can get watered down when it’s appropriated by others.
That probably won’t stop anybody from digging “The Music of Strangers.” And if music can solve the world’s problems, let’s give it a try.
“The Music of Strangers” (21/2 stars)
A relentlessly inspirational documentary about Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, which brings together musicians from different cultural traditions. 96 minutes of uplift is a lot, even if the music is undeniably interesting.
Rating: PG-13, for language
Showing: SIFF Cinema Uptown, Sundance Cinemas
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