What it’s about
This up-close and very personal portrait of legendary folksinger Ramblin’ Jack Elliott — assembled by his daughter, Aiyana — traces the Brooklyn-born performer’s rise from obscurity in a traveling rodeo to a carefree life wandering the South with his close friend, Woody Guthrie, and his eventual rise in the New York folk scene of the ‘60s.
Why we love it
As a friend to Guthrie and a hero to Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack emerges in this film as a wise and witty storyteller, mostly in his own words, but also as a detached father and husband. Aiyana travels the country with her Grammy-winning dad visiting old friends like Kris Kristofferson and Arlo Guthrie, attempting along the way to highlight his importance to the folk-music scene and come to terms with his paternal shortcomings. “Ballad” is a bittersweet valentine to an amicably irresponsible American troubadour.