Review: "Guava Island" is a Relaxing Oddity from Donald Glover

Scene from Guava Island

There are few performers who are as entertaining and provocative right now as Donald Glover. along with his esoteric comedy series Atlanta, he has slowly reinvented himself into an artist who pushes boundaries and often present complicated issues through cryptic visuals. It's hard not to get wrapped up in the allure of last year's music video for "This is America," which presented a cross-section of ideas about what it meant to black in America. In some ways, it was all marketing for his latest project, Guava Island, which is streaming on Amazon Prime right now for a limited time. While clocking in at a little under an hour, his collaboration with Rihanna is a look at the troubles that paradise can have when forced to also deal with consumerism and greed. It may seem a bit disjointed at times, but the curiosity that comes with this story is entertaining enough to make it worth checking out.

The short film is another one of those great publicity stunts. Much like how Glover dropped "This is America" while hosting Saturday Night Live and starring in Solo: A Star Wars Story, he is doing this now amid an upcoming Coachella performance. A lot of attention is back on him, and it seems like he can't help but ask his audience to constantly scrutinize him. There's a wonder of what he means by this, but thankfully he once again has made something worthwhile. With help from longtime collaborator and director Hiro Murai, Guava Island is a short that pushes the themes he built in 2018 into something more literal and visually appetizing. This also includes the use of other songs he's released in the interim, including "Feels Like Summertime." While this is a far cry from the new album that many were hoping, it is still another ambitious project that is a decent way to patiently wait.

Rihanna leads off the story with a legend told about Guava Island. It was a place of magic, where everyone was happy. As the animation comes to life with beautiful, blocky figures, the artwork slowly conveys the shift into something more corrupt, where industry began to take over. Rihanna is working in a sweatshop as Glover tries to get by doing radio jingles for mass marketing. The film shifts shortly after introduction to reveal that Glover, a talented guitar player, is eager to put on a concert for the community in a belief that art is the great unifier. The only issue is that the industry that looms over the island's peace is threatening to take him down for being too radical of a musician.

There's not much to the short film besides that, often relying on an atmospheric tone that makes Guava Island a beautiful place. To watch Glover roam down the various streets is to see a beautiful community working together in harmony. Despite their conflicts, they still manage to see the best in the world and find happiness through song. Murai shoots the locations with certain awe that makes something as simple as sitting on the beach looking meditative. Even if the story fails to have any great depth beyond its surface text, it still manages to pop with personality and life in a way that is engaging. Rihanna may not have a lot to do here, but her chemistry with Glover is enough to paint an island love that is pure. By the midway point when Glover is seen dancing to "Feels Like Summertime," it's a goofy and romantic gesture that puts a smile on the audience's face. 

The one elephant in the room, however, is that Glover clearly used his music last year as a marketing tool for this. When he breaks into "This is America," he turns it into something that begins diegetic but fades into fantasy. It's not the polished version of the original, but more relying on machinery to guide his voice, as if he's a cog in the system. While the song has always been vague on its true meaning, it does feel like Glover is using this as a chance to establish it as a grand statement. It works as visual art, but the song is spliced in ways that don't work for those who have heard the original ad nauseum. The music, in general, is fine, but it feels more juxtaposed onto the project instead of feeling organic, which is odd considering that Guava Island is about a musician expressing himself in a capitalist society.

Guava Island is by no means a masterpiece, but it does reflect the continued spontaneity and genius of Glover. He's capable of creating art that is provocative and asks the viewer to look deeper into what's going on. In that way, it's a shame that this short will only exist (for now) in a limited capacity, as it feels like another thing to scrutinize over and ask what Glover is really saying. With that said, his work with Murai continues to be brilliant and pushes the boundaries of modern media in interesting directions. The story itself could be better, but as a whole, the experience and atmosphere are so smooth and relaxing that it almost doesn't matter. It's another example of Glover's growth as an artist and his ability to raise attention about important things. It could be greater, but it's still pretty good.