Spotlight : Greetings from Tim Buckley

USA | Narrative | US Premiere | SPOTLIGHT | 2012 | 100 min

DIRECTOR Daniel Algrant

SCREENWRITERS Daniel Algrant, David Brendel, Emma Sheanshang

PRODUCERS Patrick Milling Smith, John Hart, Frederick Zollo, Amy Nauiokas

CINEMATOGRAPHER Andrij Parekh

WITH Penn Badgley, Imogen Poots, Norbert Leo Butz, Ben Rosenfeld, Isabelle McNally, Kate Nash

The late great Tim Buckley was a great and unique and innovative musician during the late sixties and early seventies, he was quite young and did not necessarily hit international success but is still loved to this day by many. Daniel Algrant’s film concentrates on the life of his son Jeff Buckley (Penn Badgley) who has been asked to play some of his late father’s music at the tribute concert being thrown in his father’s honor in New York City. Jeff did not have the most loving relationship with his father because Tim was always on the road performing his music, instead of pursuing his fatherly duties. Now as a young man, Jeff shows a lot of built up anger towards his father’s version of love which creates a slight hesitation to participate but, a short plane ride later, Jeff is in New York on a journey to know more about what kind of man his father might have been, and what kind man he could become himself. A young intern named Allie (played by the very talented and charming Imogen Poots) challenges Jeff, which is exactly what he needs to rise up and transform into the man he was always meant to be. 

Penn Badgley gives his best performance yet, undergoing a mature and interesting transformation, his vocals are pleasantly strong and his a cappella version of Def Leppard song is extremely charismatic, I could not look away, he has proved himself as leading man. Through flashbacks we are able to see Tim making all the tough decisions, trying to balance his crazed new life, Ben Rosenfeld beautifully portrays Tim Buckley in a misunderstood almost tragic kind of perspective as a young naïve musician who is more in love with creating and living through music than his family. Director Daniel Algrant successfully paints an emotionally charged homage to the Buckley’s with strong performances, finesse and one hell of a soundtrack!

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Andrea Boulet
@AndreaMtl