Review of 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) by Inkedjedi — 04 Nov 2014

Staring blankly into the vastness of his dimly lit bedroom as the alarm shrieks and the clock ticks over to 7:00am, The acclaimed singer, song writer, poet, screen writer and sometimes actor, Nick Cave begins his 20,000th day on Earth and so begins the aptly titled Rockumentary/Docudrama 20,000 Days on Earth.

First things first. Clearly this film was not shot in one day and Nick Cave regardless of the medium, has and always will continue to be a story teller of the highest calibre.

That being said there are certainly some frank and candid insights into his life, including the sudden and tragic passing of his father when he was 19 years of age. As Nick so eloquently explains his narrative song writing process as having a counter point, there is indeed one to this aspect of the film and that is the intimacy of his on stage performances and the creative process he goes through with long time collaborator and friend Warren Ellis.

The overall feel of the film is not as much an insight into the life of Nick Cave the artist, but more so about art itself, the memories, people and places who inspire his story telling.

This is portrayed in the conversations that take place whilst driving his car around his Brighton neighbourhood when friends and collaborators, singer Kylie Minogue and actor Ray Winstone. Ray talks about reaching the age of 50 and feeling as if he needed to reinvent himself and then asks Nick if he ever felt that way. Nick responds, by telling the tale of when he chose to be something other than himself and the creation of the God like rock star he aspired to be.

Similarly, Kylie Minogue regales her first ever encounter with Nick Cave, seeing him on stage for the first time, how he was like a mist that rolled in, something straight out of a movie scene.

I am a Nick Cave fan, I have been for some time. I’m not die hard, but I do love a great deal many of his songs. This film had me from beginning to end. Regardless of what was fact and what was fiction. I was enthralled. I was entertained and I was mezmerized by the story telling, from his interactions to the people he encountered throughout his day, through to the narratives of his songs and the intermittent philosophical voice overs from the man himself.

It is the entertaining, at times funny and at times sombre story of a masterful story teller and I highly recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in Nick Cave and his work.

“All of our days are numbered. We cannot afford to be idle. To act on a bad idea is better than to not act at all, because the worth of an idea never becomes apparent until you do it.

Sometimes this idea can be the smallest thing in the world – a little flame that you hunch over, and cup with your hand, and pray will not be extinguished by all the storm that howls about it. If you can hold on to that flame, great things can be constructed around it that are massive, and powerful, and world changing. All held up by the tiniest of ideas.