Review of 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) by Ben S — 16 Sep 2014

The 20,000 days on earth in question are the lifetime of the celebrated, multi-talented musician Nick Cave. As Cave approaches his 20,000th 24 hours, debut filmmakers Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard direct him in a transcendent study not only of the man himself, but the life and transformative nature of every performer. This isn't a documentary celebration of a career, it's a lyrical dream that seeps under the skin amid spellbinding aural magic.

Rich in the textual depth of language and thought, a semi-fictional world is built around Cave as he embarks on the necessities of the day - a stint recording, watching TV with the kids, driving around his Brighton home town. These activities are unremarkable, but melded with his vivid narration and analysis, even the most humdrum passing second is transfixing. This routine is punctured by occasional archive footage and several staggering anecdotes from a life lived in transit - including the finest story about Nina Simone, champagne, cocaine and sausages you're ever likely to hear.

The reason this experimental format is able to work is down to Cave as our host. His captivating presence and low antipodean voice softly guides us through his innermost thoughts and experiences. The words may be partially scripted (by the directors and Cave) but this uncynical, tenderly honest study never feels anything other than truth. Willing to discuss early sexual experiences, fears and the cannibalisation of his own life for songwriting material - the film's conversational tone allows it all to unfurl so naturally it's as if the enigmatic musician is whispering into our ear. It shouldn't be forgotten that although Cave is playing himself, it is still very much a performance - one that is vastly impressive, never once allowing its veil of authenticity to slip.

It plainly goes without saying that the musical accompaniment is tone perfect, becoming an intrinsic part of every moment. Intimately captured studio performances of Higgs Boson Blues and the recently released Give Us A Kiss are powerful enough to stop the hands on the clock, as the thick silence of the cinema and the recording studio are illuminated by the delicacy and raw emotion of The Bad Seeds. Aside from the recorded tracks an additional score by Cave and bandmate Warren Ellis knits the picture together alongside deep textual soundscapes designed by Joakim Sundström.

As with his music, the centrepiece of the film is the rich imagery contained within the artist's lyrics and words. This is spectacularly well shot by Erik Wilson with a tactile minimalism, but the visual aspect of the production is rightfully muted in comparison to the audio. It isn't required to work overly hard to create breathtaking vistas and illustrative moments: they are already present in Cave's material. When he sings - "I'm tired, I'm looking for a spot to drop. All the clocks have stopped. In Memphis now in the Lorraine Motel. It's hot, it's hot - that's why they call it the Hot Spot. I'll take a room with a view", you can feel it.

This is an ambitious, inventive debut project that all involved should be hugely proud of. It is now easier than ever to technically produce a documentary and get it widely seen, but this has severely weakened any creativity of form. Documentaries don't have to be documentaries; they can be immersive unforgettable pieces of cinema like this. To have challenged convention so successfully at the first attempt displays the exhilarating future that Forsyth and Pollard have in the format - and further reinforces Nick Cave as an unstoppable creative force.