This Much I Know to Be True

A rather fun Nick Cave movie might not have been on your 2022 bingo card, but here we are.

It’s simply executed but undeniably powerful in its lean, stripped back elegance.

The accumulating effect of this airy and resonant film’s formal devices is that of a heartbroken artist learning to reengage with society.

At the core of This Much I Know To Be True are sumptuously-shot performances of choice tracks from the Bad Seeds’ ethereal ‘Ghosteen’ and Cave & Ellis’ lockdown revelation record ‘Carnage’, all filmed in breathtaking arthouse style in an abandoned factory in Bristol.

Perhaps more than anything, the doc celebrates the remarkable creative union between Cave and his chief collaborator and bandmate Warren Ellis.

Those who have seen "One More Time With Feeling" will undoubtedly have a deeper appreciation for this follow-up companion piece, but — even for the ones unfamiliar with either Dominik’s or Cave’s work— This Much I Know To Be True still proves powerful even if consumed as a concert film alone.

The film engages with Cave and Warren Ellis’ creative bond, one that’s produced some sublime work but also self-indulgent noodling (of which there’s a little too much here). Indeed, some might wish the spotlight was on Ellis more, a fascinating character who may be the more musically gifted of the pair, but not as capable of holding the spotlight like Cave – who has his suits, rumbly baritone and carefully coiffed too-black hair.

'This Much I Know to Be True' is more concert film than a documentary; however, the brief but intimate moments spent alongside Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, of the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, offer a glimpse of order within the chaos of a fruitful creative relationship. Andrew Dominik directs with great precision, especially the musical segments, which are filmed with shocking rawness. His approach is very interesting because it allows you to appreciate behind-the-scenes details and the entire environment where the filming took place, which makes the closeness with these musical icons very palpable. P. S. Wallen Ellis' desktop is the stuff of nightmares.

A wonderful companion to One More Time with Feeling. Not quite as strong as that film, but indispensable nonetheless.

Filme muito sensível, Nick Cave é um grande artista, sem dúvidas. Em quanto cinema, não apresenta muitas novidades, filma a performance no palco com alguns jogos de luzes interessantes e movimentos de câmera que não deixa o filme ficar estático, mas apenas isso. Há algumas falas do Nick, umas profundas, outras nem tanto. A ênfase é mesmo nas músicas, então não espere uma biografia. É basicamente mostrando o álbum com Warren Ellis. A canção "Hand of God" é linda demais, me deixou emocionado.