‘One More Time With Feeling’ – the documentary about the making of Nick Cave’s new album, Skeleton Tree …is rather extraordinary. It’s not perfectly paced, or structured, but as the film reminds us, neither is life. It IS exquisitely filmed in (mostly) black and white, and the unexpected, yet skilful use of 3D provides some surprisingly intimate moments.
There are laughs, but ultimately you’re watching a talented group of people assemble what was already a melancholy album in the wake of unanticipated tragedy.
As consumers of creative work, we are often selfishly curious about their creation. We want to know everything: where it was made, by whom, and where… and why. This film gives you everything, right down to the dust on the piano. Every button, switch, light and cable gets a feature.
Then it gives you more. It gives you the uncertainty, the frustration, the lost pens, the awkward conversations and the heartbreaking silences. At times it gives you more than you you feel you have any right to see… and yet, somehow, it feels like the best response to such a generous exposure is not to say “I’m sorry” but “thank you”.
Go and see it if you’re a fan of music, or cinema, or stories, or darkness, or light.
Steven Di Costa 