20 000 jours sur Terre

The world abounds with concert films and other documentaries with no greater ambition than following a famous person around for a while. These films are usually easy to put in the "superfans only" category. But maybe that wouldn't be the case if they were more like 20, 000 Days on Earth. All I can say is that, as someone who has one Nick Cave album but no vast devotion to the guy, I was entertained throughout.

Part of this is simply the beauty of the images -- the directors make even the most mundane scene stun on the screen. The film takes place across one mostly ordinary day in Nick Cave's life, purportedly the 20000th, and much of the runtime is taken up by fascinating conversations Cave has with friends and collaborators. There are a lot of stagey scenes that don't hide their constructedness, such as a filmed therapy session, or a meta- cinematic moment where at the behest of the film's producers Cage goes through old pictures that will soon become part of the opening montage. And then there is the obligatory concert footage, shot in a dynamic fashion that manages to pick up all of Cave's subtle interactions with the front row and the looks of desperate adoration on the audience's faces.

All of this would be for naught if Cave wasn't a fascinating subject. He plays the brooding poet here, providing ominous narration throughout the film, but there are also humanizing scenes where he watches TV with his sons or grumpily bosses around a children's choir (one of the more surreal moments here). It may be more charisma than intellect, but damn if I couldn't listen to Nick Cave talk for days. For all the directorial skill brought to 20, 000 Days on Earth, its greatest virtue may be in simply allowing us to experience two hours of Cave.

". . . The never-ending drip feed of eroticism" Nick Cave

I'm not sure either what that quote means, but what you may get is a sense of writer/musician Nick Cave's poetic inclinations and the sensuality of his life, encapsulated in a fictional day, his 20,000 day on earth to be specific. Starring him, of course, because he is the center of his universe, and he believes, maybe a deity or an angel. He once said about his creations: "I can't explain that dividing line between nothing and something that happens within a song, where you have absolutely nothing, and then suddenly you have something. It's like the origin of the universe."

This smooth fictional biography, partially narrated by Cave, first takes us in his fine car, which he always drives, to visit his therapist (scene so relaxed and interesting I wish we could have heard the results). Then lunching with band mate Warren Ellis, where the talk is mostly music, and over to an archive brimming with his memorabilia.

Interspersed are performances with The Bad Seeds, from his almost Leonard Cohen-like poetic music to his Jagger-like rocking in Sydney (he's an Aussie), where the capacity crowd is fully under his spell. As he speaks through the music about its transforming power, he also shows us his struggle to bring poems and lyrics together. He once said about author vs. musician: "Musicians are at the bottom of the creative pyramid and authors are at the top, and many people think it's unacceptable for someone to attempt to jump from the bottom to the top of the pyramid."

Along the way we see him and his sons eat pizza and watch Scarface. Although he seems to have little time for his family, when he does, it's relaxed just the way he presents himself to us in a film that gives much more insight into an artist's creative process than we usually get with bios.

"My music has to do with beauty, and it's intended to, if not lift the spirits, then be a kind of a balm to the spirits." Nick Cave

The movie had a raw feel about it, an honest look at the creative process from the perspective of Nick Cave. It opened up a line of thoughts (as an aspiring musician) that transformed, inspired, questioned and transcended my way of writing. The pace of the movie was far from slow, (though obviously nor was it fast paced), it almost reflected Cave's musical writing style, a kind of creeping epic crescendo. The movie didn't fail to completely grip my friend, who I'd rate highly in terms of his cinematic knowledge (working in the industry), despite the fact that he hasn't really been exposed to much of Cave's work.

The cinematography was beautiful, with extremely unique transitions that somehow flowed scene to scene. The soundtrack was obviously excellent, with some stirring performances, I'm fairly certain there were a few slightly teary eyes in the cinema. Nick Cave was simultaneously eccentric, enigmatic yet very down to earth and heartfelt. I did feel his heartbeat.

Review: I really liked the documentary about the weird and wonderful mind behind Nick Cave's work which began in 1973, when I was born, and he is still coming out with music today. He became a chart topping artist when he made the song with Kylie Minogue called Where The Wild Roses Grow but he has mostly stayed underground with a selective audience. The Australian born 57 year old has a very a different look in life, which you will see in this documentary and his music comes from a place which is unique and very complex. This documentary is extremely well put together and it shows different sides of his life, even though it's only based on one day. I must admit, I had only heard a couple of songs from this artist before I watched this documentary but now that I have seen it, I am intrigued about his earlier work. The epic ending song, which I can't help rewinding, is really impressive because of the violins and kids singing. It made me laugh when he was sitting with his young kids, eating a pizza and watching Scarface, which is politically incorrect for this day and age but that just shows that Nick Cave really isn't bothered with those type of things. I wish that more artist would come out with documentaries like this because it will make them seem more human and you'll be able to see the process behind there writing and musical methods. There is a part in the documentary were he goes through his personal pictures which would also be great to see from other artists at different periods of there life. Personally, I watched this movie on TV and then I rented it the next day because I couldn't get the ending song out of my mind so I'm obviously impressed with this film. You don't have to be a Nick Cave fan to enjoy this documentary because of the different elements that it covers so I will highly recommend it to people who want to see a day in a life of an artist . Enjoyable.

Round-Up: I was shocked to see Ray Winstone in this movie. I couldn't really see why he was in this film and it was a bit strange when he was asking Nick Cave some questions and he wasn't answering them but the natural conversation in the car seemed very realistic. I was also surprised to see Kylie Minogue in the film and the conversation between the two of them in the car was a great insight into a period in his life when there collaboration exploded on the music scene. The interview with the psychologist, also gives you an insight into his strange upbringing and the relationship with his father which shows a more personal side to Nick Cave. I do find his lyrics a bit weird and very Jim Morrison like but he is an unique artist who doesn't get the recognition that he deserves because he doesn't follow trends and he stays true to his music.

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $2million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their biopics about a day in the life of Nick Cave. 7/10

The only thing I've been introduced with when it comes to Nick Cave is his score for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is pretty much my favorite film score ever. Such soothing, haunting, mesmerizing music. In many ways, this film is exactly like that. I always find it interesting when filmmakers play around with what a documentary really is, and this does just that. It's very melancholic in its tone, very introspective. It has fascinating examples of music being created and just how much Cave puts himself into his music, while still balancing it all and not coming off like an ego project. Even for non-fans this is recommended.