Brett Morgen offers a fever dream of free-associating wanderings through Bowie’s thoughts, feelings and philosophies
Much like its subject, MOONAGE DAYDREAM defies categorization and, at times, description. Brett Morgen’s indulgently realised collage of sound and vision simultaneously rejects convention and structure yet immerses you in Bowie’s life to the point where you feel at times like the man himself is talking directly to you, candidly sharing his insights and glimpses into his creative processes.
There’s no doubting the reverence with which Morgen’s movie holds its subject, but there’s a real sense that the director is deliberately overreaching his artistry to do it justice but in doing so, he frequently gilds the lily and obscures rather than illuminates. Vivid, loud and frequently psychedelic, its lack of an orthodox chronological structure, it has a tendency to fall into a recursive which become increasingly frustrating as the running time lengthens and yet huge swathes of Bowie’s life and career are overlooked in favour of repetitive surreal montages.
Likely to frustrate and fascinate devoted fans of David Bowie in equal measure, MOONAGE DAYDREAM is a concentrated cinematic experience which nevertheless feels somewhat superficial given the depth of artistic talent its looking to explore. It cements the reputation of Bowie as one of the most extraordinary artists of the 20th and 21st centuries but you’re left with a lingering sense of discontent because the briefest glimpses of his talent and profundity leave you wanting more – perhaps a deliberate and fittingly poignant metaphor for how abruptly and cruelly he was taken from us in 2016.
MOONAGE DAYDREAM’s shortcomings are likely to become more apparent on the smaller screen but in the darkened embrace of the cinema screen, with Morgen’s dazzling visuals and Bowie’s music and voice surrounding and enveloping you, the film has a power that’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced in a cinema.
