Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The biography of former Beatle, John Lennon—narrated by Lennon himself—with extensive material from Yoko Ono's personal collection, previously unseen footage from Lennon's private archives, and interviews with David Bowie, his first wife Cynthia, second wife Yoko Ono and sons Julian and Sean.
This documentary benefits enormously from Yoko Ono's personal archive access, giving it rare and intimate footage of Lennon that distinguishes it from standard music biopics. The self-narration by Lennon himself is a genuinely distinctive structural choice that lends authenticity and intimacy. The cinematography is archival in nature — competent and historically valuable but not artistically distinguished. The 'plot' as documentary narrative covers the expected beats of Lennon's life without radical recontextualization, and the ending, dealing with Lennon's legacy and tragic death, is emotionally resonant but conventional in approach. The novelty of the archive access and self-narration lifts it above typical music documentaries of its era.