This Much I Know to Be True review: The documentary film about Nick Cave and Warren Ellis exudes good music and life

3.5/5

Story: This Much I Know to Be True explores the relationship between musicians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis and just what makes them tick. The camera captures the musicians in their element, who also let out their feelings about music and personal life. 

Review: There have been a number of documentaries that have been made about big-time musicians before they go on tour or even when they are on tour. This Much I Know to be True isn’t exactly one of these. One could argue that it is, but how Nick Cave dives deep into more than just music, and talks about life and what drives him, coupled with brilliant filmmaking, makes this docu-film stand out from the rest, while giving the viewers an audio-visual treat. 

While director Andrew Dominik has previously worked with Cave in One More Time with Feeling (2016), their latest collaboration just feels all so different. While the shades are lifted a bit from the light, the film also has a lot more life injected into it, mostly because of how Cave and his music partner Warren Ellis talk about life in particular. 

For example, the very first scene of the film starts off with what could explain the entire film. In this clip, Cave can be seen talking about the coronavirus pandemic and how he lived through it. And all of a sudden, we have a musician talking about how he made porcelain sculptures based on the life of the devil and how he jokes (most probably) about how he just might transition from music. But what also makes this scene (and most other parts of the film) stand out is how it was filmed. 

The scene shifts, along with its aspect ratio, to a camera that goes around Cave and Ellis on a track, as Cave sings and Ellis gives him backing. We then get a rather long sequence of the two performing and later joined by their team, before director Dominik decides to make the best use of all the light that he has around the studio. Combining the music with the lighting choices and the shifting of the aspect ratio, we are almost instantly transformed into a land of cinematic experiment that could take over even the most random viewer. And this is exactly what the film has to offer. A holy crossover between two great musicians and a filmmaker who just knows exactly what needs to be done.

This is exactly what makes this documentary film stand out. A musician doing his thing and a filmmaker doing his thing. And when these two elements come together, rather spectacularly, I might add, the film gets a lease of life that is unmissable. The songs from Ghosteen and Carnage are the source of energy for this film, which, to be fair to the audience, might sometimes just feel like it is all music and not much more. 

There is a shot where Cave looks at a cluttered computer desktop and goes, "how do you find anything, mate", which one has to believe is the whole point of the film. A look at trying to dissect how two musicians try to find what they need in life through their music. There is a popular opinion on how Cave’s music transitioned following the death of his teenage son a few years ago. 

At one point, talking about his work and his life in the film, Cave says to the camera, "It's not happiness that is the most important thing to me, it’s like having a sense of meaning about things." This is what is at the essence of the film, as it tries to locate within the musician what drives him to make music and how it is connected to his personal life. And with the film looking into Cave’s life like it is a spiritual journey, the film becomes one that can be thoroughly enjoyed by the fans of Cave and Ellis. There is also a particular answer he gives one of his fans as he answers mail on The Red Hand Files, where Cave defines himself. And if the film didn’t already give you an answer, this will. 

Verdict: This Much I Know to Be True stands out from other docu-films about musicians before they go on tour simply because of how director Andrew Dominik helms the film. It is a heavenly conglomeration of music and refined filmmaking. A great audio-visual experience, the film is unmissable for fans of both Nick Cave and Warren Ellis and Dominik.