--- title: "Keyboard Fantasies" year: 2021 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/keyboard-fantasies" fi1m_id: "keyboard-fantasies" imdb_id: "tt11613502" tmdb_id: 634586 wikidata_id: "Q109336520" fi1m_score: 80 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-10-03T02:13:06.688412+00:00" updated: "2026-10-03T02:13:07.354830+00:00" region: "VN" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Keyboard Fantasies (2021) Directed by Posy Dixon · 1h 11m · Documentary, Music ## Identity Keyboard Fantasies - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/keyboard-fantasies - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** keyboard-fantasies - **IMDb ID:** tt11613502 - **TMDB ID:** 634586 - **Wikidata ID:** Q109336520 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11613502/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/634586, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109336520 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Beverly Glenn-Copeland gets a belated audience, and we would happily stay after the music stops > Posy Dixon’s affectionate documentary makes Beverly Glenn-Copeland excellent company and gives his music room to persuade us. Its admiration could use more questioning, but the warmth between him and his younger bandmates makes this an easy recommendation. ## Synopsis Beverly Glenn-Copeland appears as himself in a documentary about his life and music, directed by Posy Dixon. His album is finding a wider audience after years without broad recognition, bringing new attention to the musician who made it. Younger bandmates share his company, bringing another generation into a story of music that has taken time to reach its listeners. Conversations with the musician and those around him sit alongside his music. The film moves between his life, the album’s rediscovery and his relationships with the younger people now playing with him. ## Review Posy Dixon’s *Keyboard Fantasies* is a warm, engaging music documentary with a subject worth spending time with. Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s album has found its audience late, and the director approaches that recognition through the man receiving it and the younger musicians around him. It is a good choice: his warmth makes the story interesting before any claim for his importance has to be proved. The film is occasionally too content to admire him, but its affection is easy to share. Delayed recognition could have supplied a routine account of talent finally receiving its due. The candid encounters with the younger bandmates give this story something more particular, allowing us to enjoy the company these people keep. We were moved by their ease together. Those exchanges make the difference in their ages seem unimportant for a while, because their pleasure in being together is so readily apparent. The music gives that affection something substantial to rest on. An agreeable subject can carry a documentary some distance, but hearing the work is essential when the film concerns an album’s rediscovery. Here, the music rewards the attention being paid to its maker and encourages us to keep listening beyond the biographical story. The film makes a persuasive introduction, even if our curiosity about the work occasionally runs ahead of what it offers. Cinematography is credited to Morgan K. Spencer, Kevin A. Fraser and Lee Burnett, whose contribution is most useful in supporting that feeling of intimacy. The encounters with other musicians give the images their interest; there is a person here worth watching as well as hearing. The photography serves the company we are being invited to join. That is an appropriate choice for a documentary whose appeal depends so much on its subject’s openness. Tim Beeston’s editing gives the film a compact shape across 71 minutes. That is a modest span for a life and a musical rediscovery, and the film remains companionable rather than exhausting its welcome. There is room, though, for a closer consideration of the music that has brought these people together. Wanting another conversation is a pleasant response to a portrait; wanting a fuller account of the work is also a reservation about it. The admiration sometimes becomes too settled. The director is good at communicating why this musician matters to the people around him, but a more questioning approach might have helped explain what makes the music distinctive. His happiness is welcome, and there is no reason to demand misery as proof that a documentary has looked deeply enough. Still, affection need not prevent a film from asking more of its subject. Music documentaries about overdue recognition have a familiar route available to them, with neglect supplying the difficulty and discovery supplying the satisfaction. Here, the relationships make that route worth taking, particularly when the younger musicians share the attention with the person they admire. The result is generous without becoming a lengthy demand for reverence. Choose it for an evening when music and conversation sound sufficient, with the understanding that a detailed musical study will have to wait. *Fi1m score 80, published 3 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Keyboard Fantasies worth watching?** *Keyboard Fantasies* is worth watching for its music and Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s warmth, and we score it 80 out of 100. We are moved by his ease with his younger bandmates, though the film’s admiration leaves less room for questioning or detailed musical discussion than we would like. **How long is Keyboard Fantasies, and what is it rated?** *Keyboard Fantasies* runs 1h 11m. It is a documentary and music film. **Where can I watch Keyboard Fantasies in Vietnam?** *Keyboard Fantasies* is not on any streaming or rental service in Vietnam at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Keyboard Fantasies, and is it suitable for children?** *Keyboard Fantasies* has a UK 12A certificate, so children under 12 need an accompanying adult at the cinema. Its emphasis on music, conversation and affectionate relationships suggests a companionable watch, but we would not treat that warmth as confirmation that it suits every child; the certificate alone cannot specify its level of violence or frightening content. **How does Keyboard Fantasies compare to Buena Vista Social Club?** *Keyboard Fantasies* is the better fit for an intimate portrait built around conversation, while [*Buena Vista Social Club*](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club) puts more emphasis on musicians playing. Both make a case for artists receiving belated attention. We find Dixon’s companionable approach rewarding despite its uncritical admiration; Wenders’s film offers the stronger performance-led alternative, though its restless cutting and circling camera can get in the way. **What should I watch after Keyboard Fantasies?** After *Keyboard Fantasies*, try [*Buena Vista Social Club*](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club) (1999, Fi1m 76): Musicians receiving belated attention, with performances that make the case for listening. Then [*Faces Places*](https://film.one/film/faces-places) (2017, Fi1m 82): Another intergenerational partnership, sustained by curiosity, conversation and pleasure in other people; and [*Soul*](https://film.one/film/soul) (2020, Fi1m 80): An animated alternative about music, purpose and the trouble with measuring achievement. ### Reviews we read (3) - **Los Angeles Times**, Jen Yamato (85/100, inferred): Yamato finds the documentary’s account of Glenn-Copeland’s life poignant and remarkable. She especially praises its candid, intimate moments with him and his young bandmates, which lend his legacy a hopeful grace. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-10-30/keyboard-fantasies-beverly-glenn-copeland-story-documentary-review) - **The Guardian**, Cath Clarke (85/100, inferred): Clarke finds the documentary glorious and spirit-lifting, and says she could happily spend more time with Copeland. She singles out his warmth and happiness, alongside the belated rediscovery of his pioneering album. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/09/keyboard-fantasies-review-glorious-doc-about-trans-composer-glenn-copeland) - **Little White Lies**, John Dunning (3/4/4): The critic finds the documentary uplifting and revelatory, celebrating Copeland’s long-overdue recognition. They single out his captivating presence and the remarkable music that runs through the film. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/keyboard-fantasies-the-beverly-glenn-copeland-story) ## Details - **Director:** Posy Dixon - **Director:** Posy Dixon - **Writer:** Posy Dixon - **Cinematography:** Morgan K. Spencer, Kevin A. Fraser, Lee Burnett - **Editor:** Tim Beeston - **Producer:** Liv Proctor - **Cast:** Beverly Glenn-Copeland as Self - **Runtime:** 1h 11m - **First release (the UK):** 2 November 2019 - **Genres:** Documentary, Music - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6HlnK5Owg ## Where to watch in Vietnam Not streaming, renting or buying in Vietnam at the last check. Also available in: BR, GB, IE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Buena Vista Social Club* (1999), Fi1m 76: Musicians receiving belated attention, with performances that make the case for listening. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club.md) - *Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda* (2017): A quieter portrait that gives a musician’s curiosity room to unfold. - *Faces Places* (2017), Fi1m 82: Another intergenerational partnership, sustained by curiosity, conversation and pleasure in other people. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/faces-places.md) - *Soul* (2020), Fi1m 80: An animated alternative about music, purpose and the trouble with measuring achievement. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/soul.md) - *Sing Street* (2016): For the younger musicians: making songs becomes a way of imagining another life. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/keyboard-fantasies