I struggle with how to assess documentaries in general. If you know nothing of the subject matter, then you should care about the subject matter by the end of the doc. At least that's how I feel about documentaries. Musical biographical docs are particularly tricky. Sometimes I worry that I'm biased. For example, earlier this year I blogged about
Becoming Led Zeppelin. I love Led Zeppelin, so I was already invested. I still believe it to be a fascinating doc. Whereas I knew nothing about Jeff Buckley. I knew his name and I assumed I would know his music - I don't pay a great deal of attention to the names of songs and who sings what (or as much as should). I was expecting to hear songs that I knew and be like, "Oh yeah, so that's Jeff Buckley." However, those revelations did not come. I grew up in the grunge era, the same time Jeff Buckley was touring with his first album,
Grace. Jeff's life is a fascinating one, trying to distinguish himself from his somewhat famous father, Tim Buckley, and yet wanting to have a relationship with a man who didn't want to have one with him. Jeff's musical tastes were all over the map, from Edith Piaf to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to his favourite, Led Zeppelin. Buckley had a friendship with Chris Cornell, and David Bowie called
Grace the best album ever made. I had no idea about any of this. When Robert Plant told Buckley he was the next greatest thing since slice bread (I'm paraphrasing) Buckley turned white and disappeared for two days. Interviews conducted with ex-girlfriends and his mother tell a story of a brilliant young man with self doubt and lots of ambition. This is a portrait of a musical genius who left the world tragically too soon. This documentary will make you care, make you feel for a man you don't know, and that's the best a doc can do. Catch it in theatres now.
