Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall Is a Brilliant Portrait of an Artist Frozen in Time: Review

“Cameron Winter, Dead at 23,” a title card reads at the pre-encore conclusion of Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall, the new concert film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Beyond being a joke, it’s a reminder that the man we just watched bare his soul was only 23 years old at the time of filming.To see someone so young command the stage at such an old, famous venue — one synonymous with both artistic greatness and the tradition of classical music — is pretty astounding. Winter’s boyish mannerisms, his slump over the piano, his awkwardness in front of crowds and sarcastic demeanor are often completely at odds with the maturity of his songwriting voice. When he breaks the mold of his own songs, like the twinkling piano detour on “The Rolling Stones” or the slurred, surreal unloading of words on “Nina + Field of Cops,” it’s like we’re being hoisted up for air after being deep underwater.Find Geese Tickets HereThis is an aspect of Winter’s music that Paul Thomas Anderson appears to know well. Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall (which will be touring this fall — check out the dates/locations below) is comprised of a series of long, languid close-up takes of the singer-songwriter performing, r...