Review: Logan Film Festival headliner provokes heavy thought

“20,000 Days on Earth” offers insight about life from the mind of a brilliant singer/songwriter.

It is the 20-thousandth day of the life of Nick Cave, an actual person who makes sense of the world by writing and performing his music. It is obvious that he has suffered a lot for his craft. In one scene, he describes his childhood as being wonderful, having grown up with a father who was supportive of him. However, in writing his music, he has put himself in some dark places, transforming into a melancholy figure with a history of drug abuse.

Before seeing this film, I was confused about what it was. Its Internet Movie Database page says Cave plays himself. Because of this, I assumed it would be a straight documentary. This assumption turned out to be wrong as the film opened. It starts with Cave doing a flawlessly-written narration that could have only been scripted. While there is a definite documentary feel to it, it is a fictionalized look at the singer’s life. Cave helped pen the script, which explains how the major themes are from his point-of-view.

In the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, “20,000 Days on Earth” won best directing and best editing. It completely deserved to win in those categories. Not only is the dialogue great, the visuals and transitions are interesting and all of it works together to make a point.

The main theme is the importance of memory preservation. In the dialogue, Cave talks about how he thinks life is made up of memories that are often romanticized. There are at least two recurring visuals to illustrate this. One involves Cave driving his car while talking to people. The other has to do with television, which is shown as the film opens.

The fact that “20,000 Days on Earth” is a thinking-man’s movie bogs it down a little. It offers so much to ponder that it is mentally taxing to watch. One has to view this film fully awake to appreciate it.

Cave’s music is not for everyone. He does not write it with the intention of pleasing everybody. It is for himself and anyone who is interested in it. He enjoys the introspective experience of writing as well as the transformative experience of performing on stage. For the most part, his music is mellow with deep meaning in its lyrics. Usually not even Cave knows the complete significance of it at first.

Like Cave’s music, not everyone will enjoy this movie. Its primary intention is not to entertain but to provoke thought, at which it succeeds. The dialogue is heavy with so much philosophical insight that it is impossible to capture it all from one viewing. I was lucky enough to have access on my computer so I could re-watch some of it. Even then, there is probably more I missed.

— Christopher Campbell is a film buff who has written for several publications. He is double majoring in psychology and journalism with a minor in Portuguese, and by some miracle, he is still single. E-mail him at topherwriter@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter @ChrisCampbell02 and check out his movie reviews at criticalchristopher.blogspot.com.