It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley Review

Honesty is not a given in documentary filmmaking. Audiences will no doubt have heard the music cues, seen the leading questions which conjure drama tailor-made for trailers and teasers. Not It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, though. A look at a career which was cut horrendously short. Jeff Buckley was an artist with passion, and few can say they truly believe in their work, irrespective of reception. Grace, his first and only album, was released to moderate success. It’s a true heartbreak to see the reaction it has now, after his death. But these things happen. Success is not always immediate. Joe and Donnie Emerson found this, as did Leonard Cohen with Hallelujah. Buckley would provide a cover of the Various Positions track and it, along with the song taken as the title of this moving documentary, are now etched into the history books. Rightly so. It’s hard not to feel moved by It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley.  

Part of that is because of the brilliance of Buckley as a musician, and part of it is the sharp documentarian skill of Amy J. Berg. She knows how to pace a documentary. Her decades of experience working on everything from innocent executions to Janis Joplin have prepared her for this. It’s a tricky undertaking. How do you present a story interesting enough to those who know little, yet pepper details in which even the most dedicated fan will not know? You’ll head out of It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley either knowing more about the artist or appreciating his work with a deeper understanding. Interviews with his ex-bandmates, partners, and family is crucial to this understanding. Any documentary on a deceased artist walks the fine line between eulogising the musician at the core as a hero and effacing their work for fear of bragging about the quality. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley gets the balance perfect.  

For every moment of heartbreak surrounding his upbringing, his absent father, and his untimely death, is an example or two of his incredible musicianship. His dedication to performance and the kinship Buckley would find in music and extend to others is not just documented, but it is brought to the forefront of the film with a sincerity many documentaries lack. This is not a cut-and-shut tread through history but a look at the man behind the hits. What you find is an inevitable tragedy, but that is more a comment on the scene and how poorly musicians were looked after, how bad people can truly be, than on the music itself. You’ll have likely bawled your eyes out to Lover, You Should’ve Come Over at some point. This documentary provides some biting context to the song, to the tears, and what makes Buckley such a well-remembered musician.  

Well made, respectful of Buckley and his family, and clearing the table of cluttered rumours and assumptions. His band and former partners are on hand to explain the real Buckley was very much the man we listen to now. A sincerely open person with love on the mind and plenty of it to share. Record label pressures and the inevitable experimentations which come with life on the road are not focused in on all that much, but certainly feature throughout It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. Berg never pushes the documentary into sensationalist territory, nor does it turn Buckley into an idealised figure which people project him as. This is as honest as it gets for documentary filmmaking. While it may be a by-the-numbers experience, there’s no better way to tell of Buckley’s life and impressive career achievements.