20,000 Days on Earth

20,000 Days on Earth

Because they knew that the conventional documentary style employed in shows about Australian musician Nick Cave would be ungratifying, the makers of “20,000 Days on Earth” wisely coddled their elusive subject’s self-esteem by asking him to walk them through a semi-fictionalized account of a typical day among his own.

They know not to underestimate Cave because before this, they were responsible for directing some music videos for The Bad Seeds, Cave’s band. In his music he often celebrates/disassembles his public persona as: brutalizer, coward, agnostic, and wannabe deity. Thus “20,000 Days on Earth” is not a biography but more of an unfinished artist work.

“What does it mean to me today?” asks Cave while reflecting upon performing in “20 000 days on Earth.” He also walks along the beach near his house commenting archly on his aspirations towards being godlike. Rain here is not only rain; it denotes how Cave feels at that particular moment.

He then goes through old pictures with longtime collaborator Warren Ellis before driving around with Kylie Minogue and visiting a therapist to discuss issues revolving around his father. It is these canned situations that often allow for surprisingly frank interactions like when Minogue jokes about Cave’s dancing making him look like “an angry tree,” or when he talks with Blixa Bargeld (a guitarist) about what caused their separation.

But even though his conversations are always intellectual ones, Cave never lets himself quite go completely not even when asked to describe how it was in bed the first time he got laid. What’s more? This diva will never apologize for her actions and perhaps most characteristically reject merging the divide between herself and her fans if only because she always negotiates this through her songs.

And while he discusses scaring fans during live performances so as to derive power from them but refuses talking about those fucked up pre performance head spaces which they and his band mates enter into prior to gigs.

However, Pollard and Forsyth keep Cave focused while naturally acting is the main theme in “20 000 days on Earth.” This is evidenced in the best scene of the film. Withdrawing into his studio, Cave records the vocal soundtrack for one of the standout tracks on Push The Sky Away by The Bad Seeds, “Higgs Boson Blues.” While this soulful performance is shot in real time at an extreme close up.

After realizing that he was playing a song to Forsyth and Pollard before it had been performed in public, live audience could be impressive enough. And most importantly he is singing without them Bad Seeds act as Cave’s coat of mail. He may know that he can’t always have his way over his work and how people take it because he is not young anymore. It feels so good watching him going about it accordingly.

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