20,000 Days on Earth (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

20,000 Days on Earth (2014) – I. Forsyth & J. Pollard

An odd sort of portrait of Nick Cave that is equal parts interview, concert film, voiceover narration, behind-the-scenes snippets, and ode to creativity.  I found myself wavering between thinking “this guy is really inspiring” and “this guy is really self-absorbed” – but then couldn’t help reflecting on my own 17,280 days and the formative experiences and memories that have led to this point. I just don’t expect others to be interested.  But I guess you have to be cocksure to be a rock star, to take risks and stare down those insecurities about what people will think; seeing a good example like Nick Cave could help with your own creative and existential struggle.  Or perhaps he lends confidence because he succeeds while admitting it is scary. Indeed, Cave has always impressed me as a tremendous talent, even if I don’t have too many of his records – here, he is in full crooner mode (and a part of me is suspicious that the film is a glorified ad for his latest record Push the Sky Away from where these crooning songs are drawn). Yet, finally in the end, I’m not sure we really learned much about Cave despite the apparent insights he offers about his life and his process (the description of the film does say part of this is “fictionalized”) --  but I’ve had a good time, thought about the 1980s and about Australia and about life and how to live it.