Director: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard

Starring: Nick cave, Ray Winstone & Kylie Minogue

Running Time: 97 mins

Release date: 17 Oct, 2014 (Canada)

Worldwide Gross: N/A

 

 

 

Basic Plot:

 

20,000 Days on Earth isn’t a film reliant on plot but more on feeling. However, we follow Nick Cave on his 20,000th day on Earth and within the day get insight into his world. From studio, to the archive - from a friend’s house, to conversations with other’s as he drives. We are taken to all corners of Cave’s existence and gently guided through his life’s work and his best of all, his consciousness.

 

Clock Watching? 19/20

 

This is a wonderful film. It’s ability to communicate the enigma of performance, art, consciousness and memory is transforming, almost to a point that to write a review is arbitrary. There wasn’t a beat missed or a chance to glance at the time during the 97 minutes and what we are left with is a musical and spiritual transcendence. The combination of sound and image is perfectly delivered and enables the coolness of Cave to ooze out of the screen. A truly breathtaking document of art and its unique hold on the soul.

 

Oscar Performances? 20/20

 

Nick Cave encapsulates cool, and he does so in this movie with a perfect dose of humanity and humbleness. It feels as if he is showing you around his psyche and thought process, allowing you to ask questions and poke at his persona and music. His personality comes alive around the other members of the film: Warren Ellis, Ray Winstone, Kylie Minogue and Darian Leader (the psychoanalyst who interviews Cave) bring out the intricacies of the art making process. It all forms to make a cast of interesting subjects in order to carve out a moving sense of the artistic process.

 

Lights, Cameras, Direction? 19/20

 

20,000 Days is excellently put together. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard create a haven in their first feature film, taking the audience on a journey of discovery with cinematic ease. Not often do I get so stirred by such films and yet I finished watching it with a sense of transformation. As if listening to a life-changing album or seeing a Picasso for the first time, I was left in a sense of transfiguration and intoxication. This was all managed by clever shot making and editing, producing a somewhat euphoric experience.

 

Tell a Friend? 18/20

 

I will be telling all of my fellows humans who work or would like to work in the world of performing to watch this film. Actors, musicians, writers, filmmakers, anyone who attempts to create will get something from this documentary. And from it I imagine they will pull inspiration, determination and understanding, just as I did. This is a film for all who understand the insecurities of creating art.

 

Again? 20/20

 

This is a must buy on home video for anyone and I will be one of them. Just like your favourite album, your go to book; 20,000 Days on Earth will be my comfort food. A film to watch again and again when you need a boost of confidence or enlightenment, and I can only begin to imagine the amazing extras there will be.

 

Total: 96%

 

A film that is not just for Nick Cave fans, but a film that should be seen by all who create.

 

by Russell Farnham