Throughout my entire childhood, Jeff Buckley’s lone hit album “Grace” played on repeat in my house. After years of it being in my parents’ rotation, I finally listened to it in its entirety. I was immediately blown away by his soft and haunting voice covered by layers and layers of instruments. When I learned there was going to be a movie about Buckley, I knew I had to see it as soon as possible. Now hitting screens, the new documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” explores the life, death and legacy of the celebrated singer.
Walking into Liberty Hall, I wasn’t sure what to anticipate. Though I’ve adored Buckley’s music for a while, I didn’t know much about him and was unfamiliar with the lore surrounding him. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked.
As it started playing, it was immediately evident the amount of care that was put into the production of the film. I loved the psychedelic vibe made by Buckley’s music combined with the lyrics on the screen, which moved around and made the film feel a bit like a stop motion picture. The use of photos, videos and text made it seem more like a multimedia collage than a movie. I thought the movie was very creative in using meaningful images and drawings to fill in the gaps where there weren’t recordings.
The movie includes interviews with Buckley’s closest friends and family, including his mother, ex-girlfriends, and bandmates. In addition, interviews of Buckley from the mid-90’s are included. I was happy there were multiple perspectives about his life. It created more well-rounded conversations and gave lots of insight about Buckley. Because of this, I learned about his close connection to his mother and how his rise to fame shaped him as a person. Hearing about his tours in coffee shops across the country and learning about his process of writing “Grace” made me feel more at home listening to his music. Though I knew about the circumstances surrounding his death, many people do not know. It was amazing that the documentary cleared up those details so that Buckley’s legacy could continue on. From home videos of him as a child to recordings of him playing live music, these little details made him seem more human.
I thought that the cinematography did a great job of finding the right visuals for the music; it was magical. There were multiple moments while watching where I got chills from Buckley’s vocals and the images. When the lights flickered back on in the theater, I saw a few other people wiping their eyes.
Ultimately, I thought that “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” was very emotionally stirring. It was a great experience to understand Buckley’s life better and was a great insight into the struggles of being as famous as he was. I found it fascinating to see all that he had to go through to get where he ended up by his passing. I really appreciated this movie being made; knowing more about him made me feel more connected to his music and lyrics. The love and care that went into the movie is very obvious and I believe was the main factor that made it the masterpiece it is.
Overall, this was a 9.5/10 movie.
