[Review] The Road to God Knows Where
The Road to God Knows Where
Director: Uli M. Schüppel
Rating: N/A
Re-Release Date: April 19, 2015 (CIMM Fest)
Nick Cave is truly a man of many talents. He's a critically acclaimed musician, songwriter, screenwriter, novelist and actor. Most recently, he has written the new screenplay for the highly anticipated remake of the hit movie, The Crow, coming to theaters in 2016. With decades of consistent work in Hollywood, Road to God Knows Where stretches back to the beginning of his career at the 1989 American tour with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Having been originally released in 1990, the film is being re-released in theaters and festivals around the country, making a much bigger splash than it ever has before.
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The first thing you should know about Road to God Knows Where is that it's not a concert film, and more about the creative side of the music business as it chronicles The Bad Seeds' North American tour over February and March of 1989. Although the overall pacing is rather slow, filmmaker Uli Schueppel's student film sprinkles in a few live show moments, with long intervals back stage footage, on the tour bus, in hotels, in conflict with promoters, and behind-the-scenes of photo shoots and interviews, providing a realistic approach to what it's like on tour with a rock 'n' roll band.
The film was shot in high contrast black and white, setting the Winter's tone and reminding us of the time period when this was filmed. We often see glimpses of Cave's increased interest to remain low key as a writer and artist, than as a celebrity. By the end of the film, Cave expresses content in ending the tour, as it had flowed just as slow to the viewer as to The Bad Seeds alike.