Moonage Daydream
Moonage Daydream is in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13.
STORY: A
One way to teach a foreign language in high school is to sit in a classroom with a textbook and a teacher. In theory, everyone in the class will learn the same stuff at about the same time. Another way is to parachute thirty teenagers into a foreign country and have them live there for six months. Each person will learn on their own terms, each person having a completely different experience.
Director Brett Morgen doesn’t ask us to open up our David Bowie textbooks. He shoves us out the airplane doors, and we pray our parachutes work. We are flung into Bowie’s world and are forced to make sense of him on our own terms. No one offers any explanation. There are no experts offering a “definitive take.” We get to explore Bowie the way we would a foreign world. It’s the best way - the only way, perhaps - to learn about David Bowie.
PEOPLE: A
Bowie’s legacy is legendary. In interviews, he speaks joyfully and bluntly about topics such as Buddhism and transgenderism. His ideas may even lift a few eyebrows today. In the 1970s, people’s eyebrows must have been shot thousands of miles into deep space orbit. Unless you were there, or unless you watch this movie, it’s difficult to appreciate how groundbreaking Bowie was. He’s mystical, magnetic, and magnificent.
FILM GEEK STUFF: B-
The editing is rapid fire fast. Images of Bowie, his inspirations, and his creations race past you too quickly to let you make conscious connections between them. You get more of a vibe - an ethereal sensation - than hard facts. Is it because that’s the best way to explain Bowie? The only way? Maybe it mimics what it felt like to spend time with him? Whatever the reason, it’s a bold choice that works on one level, but at other times overwhelms the senses.
STORYTELLERS (Elective Class): A-
Brett Morgen shared in an interview that he had a heart attack soon before making this movie. Combing through thousands of hours of Bowie footage, he says that he slowly got the impression that Bowie was speaking directly to him. It was like Bowie was giving him instructions about how to live his second chance at life.
I’m Buddhism-curious. I enjoy learning about its guidelines for living your best life. There’s a lot to admire. So my ear caught the fact that many of Bowie’s voice-overs in the movie seem steeped in Buddhism: the idea of impermanence, of devoting full attention to each moment, and enjoying the journey and/or process.
Bowie was many things, his dabbling in Buddhism only a tiny part. There are a kajillion other areas of Bowie’s philosophy that could have been explored in the film. Would we have gotten to know a different Bowie if the film were directed by someone who hadn’t had a near-death experience? Bowie is so many different things to so many different people. As much as Morgen wants to give us a pure, unbiased look at Bowie and let us grapple with him whatever way we choose, it goes to show that you can never escape the storyteller’s influence on a film. That’s not a criticism. That’s an inescapable fact of storytelling, and one that we can dive into in order to gain a deeper appreciation of both director and subject alike.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Morgen wants to let us discover the world of Bowie by spending time in it instead of hearing about it. As much as any movie can, the film absolutely delivers on that desire. It also allows us insight into Morgen himself. Maybe Bowie can best be understood as a mirror. He allows parts of us to be reflected and seen in the ways we try to understand him and his art. The film probably works best for folks who are already fans, but even newbies should spend a couple hours gazing at David Bowie. You just might be amazed by what you see, both onscreen and in yourself.