Direction: Brett Morgen
Country: USA / Germany
Moonage Daydream is an imperfect but ultimately satisfying documentary about David Bowie, a true artist from the stars, staunch experimentalist, beatnik traveler, and innovator with a unique personality and multiple personae, whose music continues to haunt and influence generations. Bowie’s fantastic path in arts and life is depicted as a psychedelic trip with flamboyant visuals, archival interviews, personal statements and ideas, and never-before-seen excerpts of live tours.
Bowie’s favorite theme of isolation, deliberate androgyny (characteristic of his ‘70s phase), and self elusiveness are well addressed here, maintaining that mysterious appeal that not even his death was capable to erase. We have a vivid sense of his relationship with the universe and life, and between art and feelings.
In 2018, American documentarian Brett Morgen (Cobain: Montage of Heck, 2015; Jane, 2017) had access to the British singer's archives via the Bowie Foundation. What resulted from there is uplifting and will serve the curiosity of the musician’s followers, making them look at him with fresh eyes. But there’s a chance the others be disappointed with the way it was mounted. In my case, and without being dazzled, it was, at least, inspiring to see the alien rockstar romping majestically across the stage and flirting with many types of art.
