Director: Daniel Algrant
Screenwriters: Daniel Algrant, David Brendel, Emma Sheanshang
Cast: Penn Badgley, Imogen Poots, Ben Rosenfield
Runtime: 99 minutes
Program: Spotlight
Who the hell are the Buckleys? Asked the millions of people who will no doubt be hearing their names for the first time. Greetings From Tim Buckley, directed by Dan Algrant, is a bio-pic of father and son musicians Tim Buckley and Jeff Buckley, who were both young and talented, and who died young and talented. The film chronicles the story of Jeff’s tribute concert to Tim, and his personal journey to discover his relationship with his father, who has had a tremendous influence on Jeff’s music career, but was always missing from his life growing up.
The film has it all: music, the city, the seventies, love and adventure; it is really rare to see a film as complex as Greetings From Tim Buckley executed so well. You absolutely cannot ask for more from a dramatized biography. Penn Badgley is brilliant as Jeff Buckley, and sings all of Jeff’s songs by himself. His improvised singing at the record store scene is capable of winning the hearts of the most cynical audiences. The scenes are neatly woven together by songs from Tim or Jeff Buckley. The film never for a moment lets its viewers forget that this is a story of musicians, and of the ballads that defined an atmosphere in America where possibilities of love and change were hidden in the wild flowers, the gasoline stops and cassette tapes, waiting to be discovered.
On top of the emotional tale of father and son, the film, in large part, is about the love story between Jeff and Allie, a young woman played by Imogen Poots. The attraction between the two characters help gel the film together in an even tighter way than the music does. The dialogue from Tim is minimalistic and believable, and Poots’s expressions make just the right compliment.
In a way, Greetings From Tim Buckley has a Haruki Murakami sensibility. It is not the story of one person, nor of two, but the story of a generation, which contains countless stories, which the film cuts back and forth from. From it all, the film revives our love of music, and reminds us why we should never forget these lovable musicians.
Photo Credits: Tribeca Film
