Instrument is directed by the Afghanistan-born American filmmaker, Jem Cohen about the Washington DC post-hardcore band Fugazi. Fugazi are equally revered for their radical politics and DIY ethos as they are for their unconventional approach to punk and hardcore, inspiring a generation of punk and punk-adjacent bands from Nirvana and At the Drive-In to bands like Blur and Jimmy Eat World, among many others.

Not meant to be a career overview, the film functions more as document than documentary. Shot from 1987 through 1998 on super 8, 16mm, and video, the Instrument is a nonlinear portrait of a band constructed through concert footage, interviews with band members and fans, practices, tours and time in the studio. The filmmaker incorporates soundtrack elements created specifically for the film by Fugazi, highlighting a fragmented approach to filmmaking and songwriting that provides the feeling of rummaging through a scrapbook filled with moving image.