Famous rapper Money Merc, played by real-life artist Freddie Gibbs (author of hits like Gang Signs, Big Boss Rabbit), is sent by his manager to a rural house in a small town to write his next album. It’s an opportunity for the rapper to get away from the toxicity of the music industry and the pressure that comes with being a celebrity. In this peaceful rural environment, he will rediscover himself as an artist, and, above all, as a person. Screened at ACID Cannes and winner at the Deauville Film Festival, Down with the King tells the tale of a hip hop singer on a spiritual retreat, overwhelmed by a system that requires being omnipresent on social networks and producing new content 365 days a year.
Diego Ongaro’s second feature praises human connection in the Digital Age and fiercely criticizes a music industry that enslaves its artists and turns them into caricatures of themselves. Down with the King celebrates the hiatus, stopping to smell the roses, reconsidering things and creating with a calm and reflective mindset, and not from a place of anxiety and restlessness.
Credits
Year: 2021
Runtime: 100′
Country: USA
Direction: Diego Ongaro
Screenplay: Xabi Molia, Diego Ongaro
Cast: Freddie Gibbs, Jamie Neumann, David Krumholtz, Sharon Washington, Bob Tarasuk
Cinematography: Daniel Vecchione
Genre: Drama
Subtitles: Neus Calafel
Contact: Visit Films
Wins & nominations
2021: ACID – Cannes Film Festival
2021: Grand Prize – Deauville Film Festival