Review: Documentary about David Bowie is as psychedelic as his career

For David Bowie God is dead and the director Brett Morgen makes a point of starting the feature with a quote from the artist, who, when referencing the German philosopher Nietzsche asks: who will fill this spiritual gap in society?

After the bonanza, the storm. The film really begins with a variety of images ranging from photo shoots of David Bowie and recordings of his shows, to scenes depicting the space race, German expressionism and Japanese kabuki plays.

The first few minutes serve as a model of what the viewer will find for the next two hours.

“Moonage Daydream” It works in two ways: it is a show for spectators who want to hear the artist’s music and/or it is an experimental documentary that penetrates the singer’s intimacy with unpublished images.

For those looking for the first option, cinema is the only way to see the feature: good quality sound and image are essential to feel in the midst of the audience at a performance by the artist.

If the preference is the second option, the viewer will be faced with a documentary that is not linear and even confusing at times, but that seeks to present the main personas of David Bowie while interspersing excerpts from shows with interviews in which Bowie talks about everything: sexuality , family and capitalism.

With colorful makeup and platform heels, he says in an interview: I will never be the real David Bowie, I will always be creating new figures to fit myself.

Throughout the documentary, however, the artist contradicts himself and changes his opinions, after all, the film comprises a period of almost five decades of artistic inventions.

From “Space Oddity” to “Blackstar”, Bowie popularized, even in the 20th century, what the current generation calls the “age” of a particular artist: clothes, hair, musical style and even the way of acting change. talk to get into a new concept to be presented to the public.

It was from this versatility that the name “rock chameleon” emerged.

The documentary, however, tells the story of Bowie’s older brother, Terry Burns who presented to his youngest works that would be his artistic references until the end of his life.

Terry, however, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to a psychiatric hospital, where he stayed for the rest of his life.

David Bowie’s fear of mental illness existed. Would their personas be a manifestation of some disorder?

Bowie didn’t think much about it, he continued making his music, acting in films like “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976) and “Labyrinth” (1986), and traveling the world.

Various journeys outside the UK, and their respective compositions, are featured in the documentary.

Los Angeles and “Station to Station”, Berlin and “Heroes”, Singapore and “Let’s Dance”. After a sabbatical in Southeast Asia, Bowie would return to performing with the album “Let’s Dance”, judged by many to be his most commercial album.

The documentary gives him the right to reply, and it turns out to be simple: he wanted to get closer to his own audience, making music that was more upbeat, out of the vanguard.

It was also during this period that David Bowie and Tina Turner together made a Pepsi commercial, again rejected by the public. About this, the artist says in an interview shown in the documentary: “poverty is not synonymous with purity”.

However, as usual, their opinions would not remain the same.

Bowie got married, got sick and said goodbye to the world with his latest album, “Blackstar”, saying that mediocrity was not the place he deserved to be remembered for.

In fact, for director Brett Morgen, God is dead and his name is David Bowie.