On Friday, July 25, the Woodstock Film Festival hosted a screening at the Bearsville Theater of the highly anticipated documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” which focuses on the life and death of the famed ethereal ’90s singer-songwriter whose debut album was coincidentally recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. The screening also included a Q&A with the film’s director, Amy Berg.
The story of Jeff Buckley has been told in many different ways over the 28 years since his tragic passing through numerous made-for-TV documentaries and countless books but never in a concise, meaningful manner. The new film by director Amy Berg does exactly that. With comparisons ranging from Nina Simone all the way to the sounds of Led Zeppelin, the singer rose to fame in the early ’90s performing in small venues in Manhattan, eventually leading to the debut of his one and only studio album, Grace, which is often critically acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time. He tragically drowned in Memphis in 1997 while at the start of recording his second album, leaving behind a glaring wonder of what might have been.
Most of Buckley’s legend looms in the shadow of his late father, ’70s folk rock musician Tim Buckley, who was an absent father to Jeff and died early on in his life. The duality of inspiration and anxiety that their relationship instilled in Jeff is a common theme throughout the documentary and is also one of the main plots.
Through voicemails, handwritten journal entries, archival footage (some of which has never been seen before), and detailed accounts from friends and family members, the film tells the story of Buckley flawlessly while avoiding a Wikipedia style of storytelling. Rebecca Moore, who was Buckley’s partner in the early ’90s, plays a crucial part in the film, stating at the very start, “I’ve actually done my best to really not think about this for 30 years, let alone talk out loud about it.” A portion of the evening’s proceeds was donated to the Institute for Animal Happiness, a non-profit animal rescue and vegan organization founded by Rebecca, who was also in attendance for the screening.
Aside from the plot aspect of the film, the aesthetics of how it was presented was just as integral. The film intersects the interviews and archival footage with pieces of animation that enhance the story beautifully by expressing what Jeff might have been feeling at those stages of his life.
Director Amy Berg has had past experience with making documentaries about musicians, having directed Janis: Little Girl Blue in 2015, which follows the life of Janis Joplin. Amy stated during the Q&A portion of the evening that this film was a lifelong endeavor for her and that she had been a fan of Buckley since his debut.
The film opens on August 8th to over 100 screens. To find a screening near you, visit the film’s website. The Woodstock Film Festival will also be held from October 15–19, tickets are available on their website.
