Review of 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) by Kate H — 13 May 2015

I really don't know where best to start with this film. It's a documentary but not, a concert film but not, an art house film of sorts but not. I could go on for a bit more but it's a really fascinating and extremely gorgeous film to look at. Seriously, it's really cool to look at and it's not like you're looking at anything overly special.

Our premise here is a staged day in the life of singer Nick Cave. You really do not to know anything about him or his music to appreciate this. You follow him throughout his day as he crafts a song, has odd flashback chats with various people, and you end with a performance. It really is a fascinating look into his process and I think if you aren't a fan when you start you will definitely want to check him out when you've finished.

There's a feel for this film that I can't quite put my finger on but it sits right in your chest until the final scene. It also probably helps that his music and his voice make very good late night viewing/listening.

As I said, it's a gorgeous film to look at as well as listen to. He does get a bit self indulgent at points but there's enought tongue in cheek here to take the sting out of most of that. Whether you're a fan of his or not and you want to see a music documentary done much more cinematically I highly, highly recommend this. Also go check out one of his albums if you haven't before.