Over time, his musical and public persona has evolved from the brash and slightly unhinged lead singer of Australian post-punk band The Birthday Party, to the more contemplative gothic crooner heading Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—with assorted film projects and Grinderman also forming part of his successful musical and writing journey.
Whether you enjoy his music as I very much do, or find him strange, his multifaceted artistic talents as a poet, a lyricist and a storyteller cannot be denied.
In 20,000 Days on Earth, this remarkable storyteller gets to craft his own story—through a single, fictitious day, the audience is offered a rare and beautiful truth to the man behind more than three decades of music.
It seems fitting that an artist whose vision can only be described as cinematic, has selected this medium to share a very personal and revealing insight into his history, inner circle and inner self.
The narrative follows Cave as he goes about his day, meeting with a therapist, working on new songs with his band, visiting friends for a cup of tea and to reminisce, helping archivists to catalogue his possessions, playing a gig and sharing a pizza with his children.
Through these seemingly normal activities (if ever you could call his studio time normal), Cave takes us through his creative process, shares the early memories that he seeks to relive in his songs and unveils a little of the mystery that surrounds his stage persona.
His partner in crime, Warren Ellis, is by his side as always, and there are cameos from those who marked key chapters in his life, including Kylie Minogue—whose duet pairing for the song Where the Wild Roses Grow was as shocking at the time as it was brilliant.
While much of the film is scripted, the interactions are not—they capture real and unprepared conversations which answer some of the burning questions fans may have, such as ‘why did Blixa Bargeld leave the Bad Seeds?’ and ‘why did Kylie choose to partner with Cave?’
Like all great music documentaries, there are plenty of band stories and recollections of encounters with other famous musicians, such as a wonderfully frank recounting of time spent with Nina Simone. But, what makes 20,000 Days on Earth something truly special, is that in itself it is a well-crafted creative work. It’s a film that entertains as well as it explains.
Nick Cave’s day draws to an end with footage from what was perhaps his greatest live performance yet—a concert at Sydney’s iconic Opera House. With a full orchestra behind him, the sweet innocence of a children’s choir and the backing of his most famous group, The Bad Seeds, Cave shows his transition from a postpunk rebel playing on stages stained with body fluids to a masterful performer on the grandest stage.
In the same way Cave describes himself as being utterly captured by his father reading Nabokov to him—Cave’s deeply personal reading of his life story captured me.
20,000 Days on Earth will be released on August 21, and it is a film that no one with a creative soul should miss.
Directed by: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Starring: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Kylie Minogue
Rating: TBC
Runtime: 97mins
Release Date: 21 August
Reviewer rating: 4/5
Showing at: NSW – Dendy Newtown, Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona
ACT – Palace Electric
VIC – Cinema Nova, Classic Elsternwick, Kino Cinema, Palace Como
QLD – Palace Centro
SA – Palace Nova Eastend
TAS – State Cinema
WA – Luna Leederville