You know that feeling when you watch a film and it resonates so deeply that you find yourself watching it again almost immediately after the end credits roll? That was my experience watching Robert Altman’s masterpiece, Nashville.

“This isn’t Dallas, it’s Nashville!”

Set in the titular city, the film follows the lives of 24 people who are involved in Nashville’s music and political scene as the omniscient Hal Phillip Walker (voiced by Thomas Hal Phillips) campaigns for the fictitious Replacement Party. Made in what is now viewed as one of the best years in cinema history, Nashville showcases an incredibly vast yet meticulous microcosm of contemporary American life during a time of political and social conflict.

Robert Altman is regarded as one of cinemas greatest visionaries and Nashville is often used as reference to support this statement. His documentation approach acts as a doorway for the audience to grasp the hysteria and buzz without ever feeling alienated. Jean Tewkesbury’s phenomenal script feels so natural, weaving from one scene to the next with an effortless ease that despite the large ensemble, never feels exhausting. This is a film where so much happens and yet, it seems as if nothing happens at all because it is a true slice of everyday life.

One of things that makes Nashville so unique is that it has 24 fully-realised characters. Some characters are more prominent throughout the film than others, but the richness in each performance makes it even better with every watch. Ronee Blakley’s turn as vulnerable country singer, Barbara Jean, shows a darker side to the entertainment industry as she is treated like a commodity by those around her. We see her mental fragility waver and spiral, culminating in a scene that shows a conflict of identity as Barbara disrupts her own gig to regale memories of her upbringing and the passion she had for music as a child. In this heart-breaking scene, we see the “real” Barbara Jean trying to surface and literally have a voice, but this is quashed by the heckling audience who want to see country music’s sweetheart with her manufactured public image.

My favourite scene in the film takes place during an open mic night where we see folk trio Bill, Mary and Tom (Allan F. Nicholls, Cristina Raines, and Carradine) perform “Since You’ve Gone”, a song that perfectly captures the underlying tension between Tom and Mary, the latter being heartbroken by the former. The frustration and anger in Raines’ performance compared with Carradine’s neutral demeanor displays the emotional investment each had in their brief affair, all while Bill (who is Mary’s husband) plays on, clearly sensing the friction between his bandmates. This is swiftly followed by Tom’s Oscar-winning song, “I’m Easy”, which is a crooning ballad he wrote just to get the married gospel singer Linnea (Lily Tomlin) to sleep with him.

So, what is it about a film so intrinsically observational on American life that resonates with this Scouse-Welsh (Scwelsh?) blogger who has never even been to the capital of country music? Despite the film’s specific time and place, the themes and messages are universal. We know vulnerable people like Barbara Jean, dreamers like the heartbreakingly talentless yet determined Sueleen Gay, and straight shooters like Wade who are disillusioned by the glitz, glamour and promise. It’s the naturalistic storytelling that makes Nashville such a pioneering piece of filmmaking and one that has stood the test of time for better and for worse. Seemingly set in its own universe, the ties to reality are planted with anecdotes on the Kennedy assassination (Barbara Harris delivering an exquisite monologue), and the Vietnam War.

Nashville is arguably the quintessential American film, capturing the aspiration and downfalls of the American Dream and one’s battle to succeed. Universally, it is a poignant display of the human condition and everyone should watch Nashville at least once in their life. It’ll make you laugh and cry in equal measure while also bamboozling you in its unflinching ambition. Altman’s seminal masterpiece has certainly earned its place among the echelon of filmmaking.