Angel Olsen Announces New “Big Time” Film
We had a feeling that new Angel Olsen video for “Big Time,” the title track from her forthcoming Jagjaguar album, out June 3, was a bit too elaborate to be a standalone project.
Good news from Olsen’s camp came today that the “Big Time” video, which was included in last week’s CQ Roundup, is part of a larger short film that she worked on with director Kimberly Stuckwisch, who’d directed the video for 2021’s “Like I Used To” (with Sharon Van Etten) as well as Olivia Rodrigo’s Prom film.
The pair shared a trailer for the 28-minute film, which will premiere in June 2 via the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch. The Twitch watch party will also feature a Q+A with both Olsen and Stuckwisch followed by a concert airing from the premiere party at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles. In-person screenings will take place in London and Los Angeles, each followed by a separate, solo concert performance.
See Angel Olsen’s full itinerary below and watch the film trailer here, which includes bits of two new tracks from the forthcoming album, “Chasing The Sun” and “Through The Fires.”
In a press release from her publicist, Olsen described the inspiration for the film, also called Big Time, as having come from vivid dreams about time travel that she was having in the wake of her mother’s death. Stuckwisch took the storyline from one of Olsen’s dreams and used it as a jumping off point, adding dialogue and events—some reality-based and others imagined—to flesh out the film.
Olsen described the process as emotionally raw, but cleansing.
“By putting myself in the story and moving pieces of it around, I also personally had to re-examine my losses and find a new way to process the events that actually took place in my life,” she explained. “Though most of it is scripted, it is probably the most intimate work I have ever made and shared with the public . . . and it serves as an homage to my mother. I only wish my mom was here to listen to the record, because something tells me that she would have really liked this one.”
Of the film itself, Stuckwisch elaborated on its broader themes, saying it’s about breaking old patterns and self-acceptance.
“It’s a story that targets deep rooted complexities such as how our unconscious deals with repressed sexual identity, the hardships of letting go of our past selves in order to step into self actualization, and the guilt we hold when dealing with loss,” she said. “For one reason or another, we all have parts of ourselves that we struggle to forgive as well as a part of ourselves we are afraid of exploring or that we think society won’t like—so we push those parts down into our unconscious psyches, into the shadows. This is the story of drowning in those fears before releasing your light.”
The film will be released as a part of Amazon Music’s upcoming celebration of Pride Month. Throughout the month of June, Amazon Music will debut new Amazon Original songs, playlists, livestreams and films like Big Time from other LGBTQIA+ artists.
See Angel Olsen’s full schedule:
Tue. May 17 – London, UK @ Screen On The Green (Film Screening and Solo Performance)
Wed. Jun. 1 – Los Angeles, Ca @ GRAMMY ® Museum (Film Screening and Solo Performance)
Thu. Jun. 2 – Los Angeles, Ca @ Brain Dead Studios (Film Screening and Solo Performance)
Thu. Jul. 21 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap Center For the Performing Arts *
Fri. Jul. 22 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit *
Sat. Jul. 23 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium * ^
Mon. Jul. 25 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater *
Thu. Jul. 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
Fri. Jul. 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
Sat. Jul 30 – Berkeley, Ca @ Greek Theatre *
Tu. Aug. 2 – Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater *
Wed. Aug. 3 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater *
Fri. Aug. 5 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Garden *
Sat. Aug. 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Twilight Concert Series *
Sun. Aug. 7 – Denver, CO @ Sculpture Park *
Tue. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field *
Wed. Aug 10 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
Thu. Aug. 11 – Kalamazoo, MI @ State Theatre – Kalamazoo *
Fri. Aug. 12 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall * ^
Sat. Aug. 13 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall * ^
Mon. Aug. 15 – Shelburne, VT @ The Green at Shelburne Museum *
Tue. Aug. 16 – LaFayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards *
Thu. Aug. 18 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion *
Fri. Aug. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage at The Mann *
Sat. Aug. 20 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage *
Sun. Aug. 21 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage *
Sun. Sept. 4 – Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
Sat. Sept. 10 – Abiquiu, NM @ Ladder To The Moon Festival
Mon. Sept. 26 – Lisbon, PT @ Capitólio
Tue. Sept. 27 – Lisbon, PT @Capitólio
Thu. Sept. 29 – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
Fri. Sep t. 30 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
Sat. Oct. 1 – Lyon, FR @ L’ Epicerie Moderne
Sun. Oct. 2 – Zurich, CH @ Kaufleuten
Tue. Oct. 4 – Munich, DE @ Freiheitshalle
Wed. Oct. 5 – Vienna, AT @ WUK
Thu. Oct. 6 – Warsaw, PL @ Palladium
Fri. Oct. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
Sun. Oct. 9 – Stockholm, SE @ Berns
Mon. Oct. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Tue. Oct. 11 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
Thu. Oct. 13 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria
Fri. Oct 14 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan
Sat. Oct 15 – Leuven, BE @ Het Depot
Sun Oct 16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Tue. Oct. 18 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Wed. Oct. 19 – Bath, UK @ The Forum
Thu. Oct. 20 – Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall
Fri. Oct. 21 – Manchester , UK @ Albert Hall
Mon. Oct 24 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
* = The Wild Hearts Tour co-headline with Sharon Van Etten, and Julien Baker.