Walking in the Opposite Direction

This is an extraordinary documentary which will of course interest those knew of the 1980's cult band The Sound and its enigmatic leader Adrian Borland, but also those who have an interest in mental health, especially in the music industry.

The Sound were one of the 'great lost cult bands' who sat alongside (and many said influenced) U2 and were contemporaries of Joy Division, Gang of Four and label mates of Echo & The Bunnymen. Whilst arguably producing music that was as vibrant and revolutionary and important, they were never however 'cool'. They hailed from Wimbledon in London - rather than Liverpool or Manchester and they did not subscribe to "image" of any kind and some say, actively sabotaged their own success.

Ignored in the UK, The Sound became a substantial act in Europe and especially Holland where they thrived. Their live shows were a total force of nature and this comes across well in the film.

This well made documentary looks at their story, with a particular emphasis on their leader Adrian Borland and his descent into schizophrenia, some shocking revelations about his family life and his eventual tragic suicide and its effects on those around him.

Its deeply effecting and IMHO, a very valid addition to the cannon of music documentaries, giving a different twist on that period.

(Disclaimer....I managed the band for their first 2 albums and appear in the film).

"Walking in the opposite direction" is a very nice and slow documentary, which invites the viewer to getting to know some of the familiar spots and important persons in the life of Adrian Borland (frontman of the Sound). Overall the movie shows extracts from live gigs along with the commentary of the people who knew him well. Those are family, friends and people he worked with or loved.

From my point of view the slowness is nothing negative, as it helps to convey a certain discreteness all the while building up the narrative like putting together the pieces of a puzzle so to see the whole picture in the end. The film helps us all to get a better understanding of the personality as well as the troubled mind of one of the greatest songwriters that has ever lived.

My personal impression of the movie is generally that im first of all super grateful to have been able to get a glimpse into the soul of one of my cherished musicians. Id like to add that the documentary affects the viewer in quite different ways: Sometimes one might feel a bit scared off by the concrete exemples of his maniac phases, then again one feels pity and sadness for him and at times one can laugh about some of the memories which the people interviewed on the screen share with you. I only mention this in detail, 'cause the movie lives of showing those alternating aspects and stories. I dont want to mention now the missing success of the band, as it is of course part of the documentary and some of the interviewed people give answers about the possible reasons.

I wasnt too sure if I should rate it 9 of 10 points/stars. Certainly I would have rated it 5 out of 6 but as there are 10 stars, I rate it a solid and still very good 8 out of 10 stars.

As a huge fan of The Sound, I was afraid this would be a typical sensationalist 'rock doc'. It wasn't. Besides some very interesting insights into the (criminally underrated) group and their music, it discusses the topic of mental illness with care and sensitivity. Viewers are left to draw their own conclusions. The documentary seems to possess the same kind of honesty and integrity as the band did. What's more, it offers a great sense of what the early 80s post punk/wave/goth/new romantic scenes were like. And even though the research has clearly been thorough, the enigma remains intact.

An honest, frank, moving and sometimes painful to watch documentary on this great underrated songwriter that was Adrian Borland. A beautiful, moving, haunting, passionate, pure voice, which sometimes evoked Jim Morrisson and Jim Kerr, and a gift for catchy lovely melodies. The Sound at the time should have been the equal of The Cure, U2, Joy Division, Simple Minds, Echo & The Bunnymen... but unfortunately fate decided otherwise. Borland's relatives recount his life, his personality in this beautiful documentary. For my part, I only discovered this band very late, in 2021, but in a very short time The Sound and its singer became some of my favorite musicians, there was a lot of emotion and beauty in their music, listen for example to their masterpiece FROM THE LION'S MOUTH and SHOCK OF DAYLIGHT, the electrifying and legendary live album IN THE HOTHOUSE, and the magnificent songs "Winning", "Silent air", "Total recall", "You've got a way", "Longest days", "A new way of life", "Where the love is"... Adrian Borland deserved to be as recognized as Robert Smith or Ian Curtis during his lifetime. A recommended, heartbreaking documentary.