It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley was among the select few singers in popular music to be gifted with the vocal range of four or more octaves. His ability to mimic the works of others, including Leonard Cohen and Nina Simone, is evident from his recordings. A talented writer, as well, his lyrics displayed a deep pain and passion, which his early passing in a tragic accident, denied the world and himself, a chance to see to full bloom. The new, often bittersweet documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, goes into detail about both his life and career, as brief as both were, and it is a loving, clear eyed tribute to one of modern music’s great What If’s?

Courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Given Buckley lived less than thirty years and died nearly three decades ago, there is not a vast amount of material, such as music or direct interviews, for this documentary to draw from. As such, while you get some material that involves him directly, it is mostly his music, or others talking about him. You do get a fair amount of his personal writings, which seem to hint at a very troubled, deeply feeling person. The entire film builds, inexorably, to his death at age 29, in what was ruled an accidental drowning.

Indeed, the entire film seems to be built to allow you to understand how and why this event occurred. Drugs and alcohol were ruled out by the toxicology report, so what caused this event? The film, having built to this moment, provides whatever answers the individual viewer wishes. Given his history and behavior, suicide seems unlikely. Instead, what the film paints is a portrait of mental illness.

Courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Indeed, focusing on what can only be considered a series of manic episodes, of highs and lows, of joys and sorrows, it appears the one thing this passionate, talented musician lacked, was impulse control. Not in the sense that he was reckless about others, or a danger to them nor did he ever abuse people or substances. Instead, if he got an idea in his head, he immediately pursued it, without fully considering the consequences. Was it a self-destructive streak, or something else?

Ultimately, however, the film is not about his death, as much as it builds toward it, as it is about his life and his massive legacy, despite how brief his career was. At the time of his death, he was still working on his second album, which would be completed using some unfinished work. His first album, which he had been touring for, became an enormous hit only after he died, as well. His death may have helped sales, but it is also just as likely that his growing fanbase and admiration among fellow musicians, would have ensured a steady climb and long career in the music industry.

Courtesy Magnolia Pictures

The film does a fine job showing who his influences and idols were, through archival footage and stories from family and friends. His relationship with his mother, who had him when she was a teenager, is explored, as is his lack of contact with his father, Tim, a jazz musician of some note, who died of a heroin overdose.  One gets the sense that there is a longing for belonging, and a desire to make things right in his life, and that of his mother, in both his personal and professional life. Many of his lyrics deal with morose themes relating to broken dreams and unfilled passions. When Buckley, a friend of Aimee Mann, once tried turning their friendship sexual, he was turned down by her. She told him, in a story related in the film “Jeff, you don’t need sex, you need love.” For Buckley, that love had arrived but he was not around to see it grow.

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley opens in theaters on August 8th.