Bono: Stories of Surrender

Andrew Dominik's portray of Bono during his one-man music show "Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief" is an electric, flashing and interesting examination about the polarizing yet talented musician Bono. Using musical performances basing his memoir and his personal connections, Dominik offers what Bono is telling to the audience. His passion, his growing up years, his beliefs, and what makes him special.

The camerawork, direction and the atmosphere of how this documentary is used is well structured. Interlacing with good musical performances from Bono. What succeeds about this documentary is that even if you aren't a fan of Bono, his delivery and words draws you in. His poetic-like personality and music flows a personal journey into the minds and offering a unique experience.

I won't say I am a U2 or Bono fan but I found myself being intrigued watching this. Overall, a good documentary.

Who edited this?

Having seen the live performance of this show, I find the edit here disappointing and disjointed. It lacks the natural flow and energy of the original, making it hard to follow the actual story being told. Key moments, like the entire early days in London section, have been completely skipped, and the setlist feels jumbled and out of order. These choices seriously impact the coherence of the narrative.

That said, the music itself is still stellar, Bono and the Jacknife Lee Ensemble deliver powerful and dynamic performances that truly shine throughout.

Just a shame the story is actually lost.

In Stories of Surrender, Bono achieves something truly extraordinary: he strips away the myth, the stadium, the noise - and stands alone with his story, his music, and his vulnerability. What unfolds isn't just a play or an intimate concert; it's an emotional surrender - honest, devastating, and deeply human.

As a viewer, you don't see the U2 frontman. You see the son who lost his mother, the friend who loves his bandmates with quiet devotion, the man searching for meaning in the chaos of a life lived out loud. The theatricality is there - because art demands it - but there's no empty spectacle. Every gesture, every reimagined note, serves a truth that aches and embraces.

What's most powerful is that, though ego is inevitable for any artist, Bono doesn't hide behind it. He channels it to open up, to move, to make you cry if you need to. And I needed to.

Stories of Surrender is not about understanding Bono. It's about understanding ourselves through him.

Patience is required at first as it takes around 20 minutes to adjust to the content and then the story telling soars along with the music. A one man show told from the view of a retrospective on a rock stars life, son and band member, with touching insights on his relationship with his father. The arc of the story goes from school, band creation, growth of fame, riches, social campaigner and family tragedy. For those of us who have lived through the journey along with U2 it draws you in and inspires you at the same time. Strongly recommend you make time to watch uninterrupted. It's a beautiful story.

I love U2, my favourite band for long time, but I have been developing an (I don't know how else to call it) rejection towards Bono that is growing more and more with time. This a very beautiful pice, only surpassed by its ego driven and pretentious story. Bono is too self-righteous, the authenticity he tries to force while telling this story end up being -ironically- a little overacted. Still a great singer, still great composer and I don't doubt he is a good person with good intentions, but this comes across... he is coming across more and more as the years pass, as fake. Interestingly he does mention at the beginning this can come in that way, self-centered, but that warning doesn't save it from being what it indeed is, a pretentious piece.