MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE
Nick Broomfield (2019)
2 STARS
Perhaps more appropriately titled Leonard & Co., this documentary of the incredible career of Leonard Cohen leaves much to be desired in regards to Marianne. The film follows the life of Cohen from leaving Canada after university, to his death in 2016. There are a couple of interesting interviews including a gritty re-telling of tours, drugs and women by Ron Cornelius, Cohen’s guitarist, as well as some interesting footage of Cohen himself, but on the whole the film lacks any tangible discovery of the man and his muse. With a noticeable lack of footage, Broomfield resorts to repeating the same shot of Marianne and using photo stills to amuse the eye while interviews play. It is telling that the only part of the film worth a reaction is the revelation that the producer of the infamous Hallelujah has never seen a penny for the rights, not in the slightest relating to the titular Marianne. This will prove an interesting piece for any Cohen fan, but for those looking for something more than a surface-depth biographical picture, it might pay to explore different avenues.