Nothing Compares

As "Nothing Compares" (2022 release; 95 min.) opens, Sinead O'Connor is announced at some show and upon hitting the stage, she is widely booed by much of the arena. We then go back in time, and in a voice-over, Sinead tells us that "I got into music as therapy" and how she was suffered from an abusive mom for years... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary,

Couple of comments: this is the feature length debut of writer-director Kathryn Ferguson, who previously directed Sinead's 2013 music video "4th & Vine". Here she reassesses the rise and fall of the fiercely independent and non-conformist Irish singer. All of the hot topics are examined including the infamous SNL scene exactly 30 years ago this month where she shreds the Pope's picture (to protest against the Catholic church's sexual abuses). The bulk of the movie covers 1987 to 1993, when Sinead was only 21-27. Watch how she resists immense pressures to give in on this and that (when her music label found out she was pregnant as she recorded her debut album, they "suggested" she have an abortion--she refused). And what about the music, you might ask? Well, if you are expecting to hear "Nothing Compares 2 U", don't waste your time. Prince's estate (led his half sister Sharon Nelson) refused the use of the song in the documentary, apparently because in Sinead's 2021 memoir "Rememberings", she had some unflattering comments about Prince. Talk about being petty and small-minded, if not vindictive. But as the last 10 min. Of this wonderful and moving documentary shows, Sinead was right all along, but simply YEARS ahead of her time and hence not understood or worse. (And if you haven't read "Rememberings", I'd readily suggest you do.) Back to the documentary's opening scene: it was from Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in late October, 1992, 3 weeks after the pope picture incident. As someone in the documentary pointedly observes: "They are at a BOB DYLAN show, what were these people thinking?" (referring to the sell-out crowd booing Sinead). Then look how Sinead handles the situation...

"Nothing Compares" premiered recently on Showtime. I watched it on the SHO streaming app last night, and I was surprised how great this documentary turned out to be. Whether you like Sinead's music or not (I'm a casual fan at best), this documentary is so much more than that, and I'd readily suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

I remember Sinead O'Connor being a pretty big presence in the British music press of the early 90's. She would be hitting the front covers of the Melody Maker, Sounds and the NME on a regular basis. I did recall the fallout of her appearance on American telly where she ripped up a picture of the Pope and then thinking back to it now, she did seem to drop off the radar somewhat massively. This doc doesn't so much give us the biography of O'Connor from start to finish, it instead focuses her mid 80's rise in the music industry until her fall from the spotlight in 1992. There's little detail on her earliest years and pretty much nothing from the past 30 years. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, as it allows us to zoom in and look at the period where she made her most iconic music and made the biggest impact on the culture overall. There is a reminder of just how good her debut album The Lion and the Cobra is and there is unforgettable footage of her appearance at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary show where she was abused by large swathes of the audience for her Pope protest..somewhat ironic coming from those attending the celebration of one of the world's foremost protest singers. A lot of excellent footage has been unearthed to put this film together, which adds a lot, even if Prince's estate refused use of the song which gives the film its name - pleasingly, the film-makers address this in the end credits to explain this obvious elephant in the room. Overall, this is a very good music bio, as there is plenty of grit and drama to go along with some top tunes.

Originally premiered back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. As if writing now, I can't believe I missed this one when I attended the virtual festival back in January 2022.

Nothing Compares is directed by Kathryn Ferguson and it's a story about the five year period of singer and songwriter Sinead O'Connor and all the things happening to her around that time period. I had recently enjoyed some of her songs and her musical style. I really like her song Nothing Compares 2 U, Mandinka, and so on and so on. This documentary is really well informed and has really interesting editing choices. Ferguson includes voice overs from various people who knew O'Connor and O'Connor herself while presenting old footage and creative made up scenes to capture the tone of O'Connor's career, past life, and the controversial times she was in. It doesn't just focus on her music but it also explores about her past trauma with the Catholic church, her parents, politics, religion and many others aspects. Because of these topics, it really helped to sell this documentary to heart and becomes really touching.

Very informative and emotional at times. I knew about Sinead O'Connor before seeing this documentary and reading and listening about her experiences and troubles she was facing, I really do feel bad for her at times especially some of the more recent events that had happened to her. I was able to connect with this documentary very well and learned a lot more then I expected it. Surprisingly, there were some fault with the sound design as some moments felt they had a weird echoing effect in the back ground. Strangely, the main song "Nothing Compares 2 U" didn't appear in this documentary due to copyright issues I have to assume. Weird, but it felt missing.

Overall, a really well informed and at times depressing documentary about Sinead O'Connor.

Rating: A-

As someone who grew up as a teenager in Ireland during the time period that is the focus of this film, even 15 year old me had a hint of awareness that SOC was possibly the victim of a society, that just wasn't ready or willing to face up to the reality of the issues she shone a light on, both in our own country and further afield.

What this film does is show the world that the things she did weren't some random acts of self-sabotage, or even worse, publicity stunts to prop up her career. She used the global platform she had to speak up for those who could not be heard, to give them a voice when nobody was listening. She didn't do this at the expense of her career as she was so publicly derided for, this was exactly what she was put on this planet to do. Music and art were the platforms that enabled her do it and she did it in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

The problem for Sinead was that she was so far ahead of her time, living in a time when thou dare not speak truth to power, in a world where social media platforms and hashtag movements didn't exist. If there was anybody in her corner, we simply didn't know about it at the time as they too had no voice. The world's media simply constructed the version of Sinead they wanted us to see.

It's a beautifully immersive film that in time I think will really vindicate a genuine social justice warrior in the court of public opinion.

And about time too.

She deserves it.

Nothing Compares (2022) by Kathryn Ferguson is beautifully crafted tribute to one of the most iconic singers of my generation. Sinead's story is both epic, tragic as well deeply inspiring and the director here captured the true value and respect she so rightly deserves. The film gives us a greatly balance montage of performances by Sinead and the political environment surrounding her career and whether you are new to Sinead's work or a lifelong fan honestly i'd say this is a film to see. If you are gonna see one doc this year let it be this one. It's certainly has revitalised my interest in Sinead and well frankly I am in awe of her bravery and passion. Well done to the director, I look forward to her future projects, I know they will be equally as worthy. 8 0ut 10.