Synopsis:

She just wants to sing country and western on stage, but it’s not easy for a South Asian-American in the deep south where every audience is a hostile one. “How Do You Fall Out of Love with County Music” is a humorous and moving short film about cultural alienation and the possibilities for human connection through music.  Set on stage in a honky-tonk bar, Amy Singh courageously bares her soul to the audience and reveals deep truths about racism and belonging in our country today. 

Review by Victoria Angelique

HOW DO YOU FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH COUNTRY MUSIC is a short film that is great for comedic relief in a familiar setting with a relatable protagonist named Amy. The story captures a feeling many artists struggle with when they are first starting out and vocalized the inner-dialogue through a monologue. This makes the situation Amy is in all the more realistic as she is not afraid of speaking her mind, even if it might be politically incorrect. This only aids in the humor of her situation, knowing as a woman of color that she is not exactly welcome at a country music club to perform to the point that she tries to relate to her audience before ever picking up her guitar. 

The cinematography grabs the attention right away and stays consistent throughout the film as a way of signifying Amy’s nerves, becoming smoother as she speaks and her nerves fade away. She is able to chase her butterflies away by speaking over the background noise, another great filmmaking technique that director Shyamala Moorty utilized to emphasize a part of the human condition that many people overlook as Amy focuses in on the negative voices over the positive. The positive voices are never even heard, as Amy can only hear the words that confirm her worst fears, that a woman who looks like her has no place in country music. 

The words Amy speaks in her monologue are politically incorrect in a way that feels authentic. She airs her grievances in a way that feels like a stand-up comedian, showing that she really is not afraid to let go and be herself. It’s obvious that she is working up her nerves to perform, but through her speech she is able to connect to her audience to prove that she actually does belong in a country music setting. She knows how to get noticed so that her audience will not tune her out as they converse with their table mates. She forces them to listen to her so that her music will be heard. 

It’s quite interesting that the filmmaker never actually portrayed Amy singing, so the audience actually does not know if she has talent or not, it’s left open to hoping for the best for her. The nightclub vibe is set throughout the entire film, with the red lights and clinking of glasses. The story never makes it feel like there should be more than one setting as it works with just Amy speaking as her audience occasionally quips back, her inner fears being verbally worked out until she feels like she can perform. Amy does what many artists struggle to do, she makes sure she is noticed before she begins performing so that the audience knows she actually does belong in country music.