It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

I'm embarrassed to admit that Jeff Buckley's rise to fame, and tragic end completely escaped me when it happened in the '90s. So watching this movie was like opening a time capsule and finding the roughest, but most beautiful diamond in the world. Words simply cannot begin to describe the depth & breadth of his talent. This doc is worth seeing for that reason alone. But beyond that, his brilliant talent and tragic life story makes for an irresistible, compellingly narrative story. That's the second reason to see it. My hope is this film will allow new generations to discover him, and keep his memory and music alive.

I'm so happy that Jeff got to be the partial narrator in this documentary. It makes things just that much more of a gut punch.

It reminds me of "Montage of Heck," but warmer, better, and somehow more emotional. I felt closer to Jeff in this, than I was expecting and was sure glad I was curled under a blanket to hide sometimes when it got emotional.

This is the second documentary about Buckley (the first, "Everybody Here Wants You," was produced by the BBC in 2002), and this one is better in nearly every way.

The filmmaker has chosen to tell the story of his life and all-too-brief career mainly through his mother, Mary Guibert, and two previous partners, artist Rebecca Moore and musician Joan Wasser, which brings an intimacy that illuminates his creative spark and inner life, dreams, struggles, personality, and character beautifully, warts and all. Former bandmates and friends round out the picture of a talented, complicated artist who burned brightly and all-too-briefly. It's a must-see for anyone who appreciates his musical legacy and loves a good biographical documentary. It's appropriately detailed and quite moving. I felt myself welling up with tears more than once, as his music was a big part of my 20s. The stories and testimonies of his former partners, in particular, are touching and well done, revealing sides to him that flesh out the rock star and make him human and fragile.

But the story is occasionally and oddly incomplete. One noteworthy former girlfriend, Elizabeth Fraser (formerly of Cocteau Twins), who was a big influence on him musically and who is also famous for having sung a legendary cover of one his father's most famous songs, "Song to the Siren" (in 1983, when Jeff was just 17), is absent entirely from the narrative. Even Cocteau Twins' influence on him as a musician and singer has been excised, even though he was known to occasionally -- for fun -- cover some of their songs in his intimate Sin-é live sets. (He even recorded an unreleased sketch of a duet with Fraser of his song, "All Flowers in Time (Bend Towards the Sun)," which one can find online if you look hard enough.) Much time is spent on his love of other artists like Led Zeppelin, however.

Fraser's relationship with him, which was roughly from around 1993/1994, during his rise to fame, was not a secret -- she wrote songs about him, partially dedicated Cocteau Twins' final album to him in 1996, and co-wrote the hit Massive Attack song "Teardrop" about him following news of his death -- so who knows why all of that was left out. Even if she didn't want to be interviewed (as she had been for the BBC film), excluding her and her band entirely from his biography felt like a mistake, as it was a much less predictable musical association than Zeppelin or some of the other influences that were explored.

So, sometimes the film seemed to be aiming to craft a specific narrative rather than tell the whole story. But every good storyteller edits out something they wish they could include! I just wish this film had been just a bit more thorough, as some of what was omitted is actually rather interesting. And again, it needn't have required Fraser being on camera, but perhaps without her it simply didn't work and had to be cut.

To be sure, the film recaptures the stunning news of his untimely death in a way that feels painfully fresh, and reminds us that Buckley was a gifted artist whose loss continues to be felt -- in music, art, and not least by those who were closest to him.

"It's Never Over" is a fitting and moving tribute to Buckley's life and career.

[UPDATE: I subsequently learned that Elizabeth Fraser declined to be interviewed for this film, which is consistent with her inclination towards privacy. Too bad neither she nor Cocteaus were mentioned, but if she wasn't willing to be interviewed it might have fallen flat on screen.]

The footage of Jeff Buckley performing and singing was absolute magic. Amy Berg handled many of the pratfalls of documenting a talented singer who died young with a deft hand, never letting the supporting cast and commentaries slide into idolatry. However, I can't help but think there was a LOT that was left unsaid, particularly from the women in his life. The two scenes that felt the rawest were the footage of him singing his own material for the first time in Sin-e (you really could have heard a pin drop), and when a journalist asked him where he saw himself in ten years. No one will ever know what went through his mind when he waded into the river, but I, for one, will always wonder what music he could have made if he had lived.

Greetings again from the darkness. The Music Box series at HBO brings us this documentary from Amy Berg (Oscar nominated for DELIVER US FROM EVIL, 2006), who profiles the tragic tale of the immensely talented Jeff Buckley. When he died in 1997 at age 30, Buckley had only released one album, "Grace". Many musicians and critics call it one of the best albums ever. This film tells us how he reached that level.

Throughout the film we hear stories and memories from Jeff's mother, Mary Guibert, and his ex-girlfriends, Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser. Mom recalls baby Jeff 'vocalizing' to the radio from his bassinet. She also explains how Jeff's father, Tim, left to pursue his own career rather than stick around to be part of a family. Yes, you might recognize the name Tim Buckley. He was a popular musician who died at age 28 from a heroin overdose. Seventeen-year-old single mom, Mary, and Jeff 'raised each other' and Jeff always had a close bond with mom. Young Jeff even got to see his dad perform once, and ultimately sang at his dad's funeral.

Much of the film is dedicated to detailing how Jeff honed the skills to sync with his other-worldly singing voice. He was a poetic songwriter in the vein of Bob Dylan and Morrissey, while Soundgarden and Led Zeppelin influenced his musical style. Just to highlight his uniqueness, Jeff also covered Nina Simone, and is best remembered for his haunting cover of Leonard Cohen's iconic "Hallelujah". Singer Aimee Mann ('Til Tuesday) also provides some perspective from a musician's viewpoint.

One of my favorite nuggets here is how Jeff found a good (re)use for Michael Bolton cassettes, but a key point is how his tremendous debut album was so unique that it proved to be an uneasy fit for radio play. Director Berg includes a great deal of archival footage that I'd never seen - both concerts and interviews. Jeff was a young man who suffered from depression, and would likely receive better treatment these days. His death in Wolf River in Memphis still seems a bit confusing in light of how he had spent the previous couple of weeks. We hear the final voicemail he left for his mother, and it's heartbreaking. Music was Jeff's entire being, and a reminder that some souls simply burn too hot to last long.

Premieres on HBO on December 4, 2025.