Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song Review

Leonard Cohen has better songs under his belt, but will forever be tied to Hallelujah. It is no So Long, Marianne. It does not scratch the power of Leaving the Table. But it does provide Cohen, that crooning legend with deep and scratchy vocals, a unique take on a beautifully utilised piece. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song pieces together the impact, release and longevity of such a striking bit of work. It has dominated his work, live or otherwise, for decades. His final performance in 2013 utilised Hallelujah. Countless films have. Key to this documentary from Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller are the riches of footage from the career of Cohen.

Essentially a long-form video essay on the powerful motives of Cohen and the divine, the link between the pair and the spirituality of the track, Hallelujah is a slick and sincere documentary. It falls to the preying eyes and ears of those wanting to crack through with their own opinion, an endless array of talking heads that had the luck of associating themselves with Cohen. Footage of an interview with Larry Sloman marks the most revealing moment of all throughout this documentary. Cohen had dedicated himself so incredibly to what was perceived as a pop song. Hallelujah will not rework or reconsider the state of pop music now, it is in a different commercial placement, but the dedication artists of the previous century had to deeper meaning in well-crafted work is a clear difference made clear here.

But Goldfine and Geller are not content with just understanding Hallelujah. This may as well be a general documentation of the moments that led up to, and followed, the personal and spiritual aspects of Cohen’s music. Hallelujah in the title, more depth within. It is the need to include something that will latch onto a potentially interested target that undersells this documentary piece, which is much more about Cohen as a person than that of one of his best-known tracks. The best parts of Hallelujah entertain themselves with Cohen’s struggle to reach the ear of more than a handful in the early moments of his career. It is the self-doubt that is most striking of all, an utterly beautiful and human look at one of the greatest lyricists and musicians of all time. That is no overstatement, and Hallelujah does a great job of confirming those talents.

Although it is standard in its approach, Hallelujah does a great job of understanding the doubts that even the best artists have. With an abundance of archival footage and interviews with those around at the time, it is the straightforward inevitability of the documentary feature that steers this so well. No major risks taken, no massive flourishes of flair or style, just as dedicated to discussing the image and creativity of Cohen as the man himself was to his own work. Hallelujah has that special quality, the benefit of clear-minded approaches to the work of a great artist. As much as there is praise here for him, Hallelujah lets Cohen and those that collaborated with him do the talking, linking back to that titular piece as though it were the centre point of his work. Interesting arguments are made, backed by some decent work throughout this nicely-made Cohen documentary.