“Jeff Buckley, It’s Never Over,” a featured film at the Sundance Film Festival directed by Amy Berg, is a testament to love through music and human connection. The documentary included never-before-seen footage of Buckley and interviews with his closest loved ones.
The visuals of the film include 90’s cartoon-like drawings, writings from Buckley’s diaries and unseen performances. These elements were important to Berg.
“I really wanted to create this feeling of being inside the music,” she said.
Berg’s love for Buckley’s life and music is translated to the audience through her patient approach to the film.
“I wanted to make this in a way that felt true to Jeff, so I really didn’t rush myself,” she said. Berg began this project in 2019 after asking for the rights from Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, since 2012.
Love And Abandonment
Buckley’s early life was far from simple, raised by his mother, as she was left alone during her pregnancy without the support of his father, Tim Buckley. Buckley grew up without the presence of his father, a rising rockstar focused on his music, who he had only met once shortly before he died of a drug overdose.
As Buckley began to follow his own musical pursuits the ghost of his father haunted people’s perceptions of him. Buckley hated the comparisons made between him and his father’s legacy. It was clear that Buckley was a one-of-a-kind artist that didn’t want to be confided by the constraints of his father’s fame.
Throughout his life he experienced great love and was described as a “protector of women.” His first love was Rebecca Moore, who heavily influenced his album, Grace. His mother was loved fiercely by Jeff, the documentary features the last voicemail Jeff left to his mother, where he speaks of his love and admiration for her.
Although Jeff had love in his close relationships, it was also apparent that everyone he met could testify to his fearless love for life.
It’s Never Over
It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly Buckley’s career began, his music made at a young age, his performance at his father’s funeral or at his New York City barista job where he played for crowds of customers. Even without a direct pinpoint career marker, Buckley’s music was more to him than where he played or how many people listened.
His first and only album, ‘Grace,’ was and still is a sound that is one of a kind. His cover of ‘Hallelujah’ is transcending; Buckley says that the song is not about God, it’s about sex. His humorous take on life appeared frequently throughout the documentary, making the audience smile and laugh out loud. His original songs such as “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” and “Lilac Wine,” are lyrical masterpieces with a mesmerizing sound.
Buckley died of drowning at age 30. Fans still speculate about his death but the life he led so fiercely still inspires people today.
“I saw him once,” Berg said. “But I was so taken by his album and his death, those things moved me so much.”
Berg created a masterpiece of a documentary, perfectly encapsulating all there is to learn from Buckley and leading a life of love.
