It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

I'm so happy that Jeff got to be the partial narrator in this documentary. It makes things just that much more of a gut punch.

It reminds me of "Montage of Heck," but warmer, better, and somehow more emotional. I felt closer to Jeff in this, than I was expecting and was sure glad I was curled under a blanket to hide sometimes when it got emotional.

Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Jeff Buckley was one of a kind whom we lost way too young. With this new documentary about his career and life, director Amy Berg, while follows the predictable biographical documentary structure that does feel repetitive, still carries an solid emotional journey to explore what made Jeff famous and important and his important musical work. Using good archive footage, participant interviews and discussions, it helps to add flavor and meat to what made Jeff special, his ideas, his background and an understanding of his personality in general. Allowing viewers to get into his world and learn what made him special.

With good music choices and styles throughout, Berg approaches things appropriately and emotionally, helping tone engage with the emotions and perspectives well. I am not familiar with Jeff's music but the documentary does offer a lot to let you learn about him. Despite some pacing issues and with the predictable structure that does make things feel a tad dry with its ambitious tone, still, you feel the blues and vibe well.

I'm kind of surprised a music documentary about Jeff hasn't been made sooner, especially with how his legacy and music has changed over these years.

Truly amazing definitely the best documentary's I've ever watched it's truly a work of art this is an absolute must watch and it's absolutely incredible to watch his life and what obstacles he had to face to become what he is famously known for. Also I love the fact that so many old interviews were used.

The footage of Jeff Buckley performing and singing was absolute magic. Amy Berg handled many of the pratfalls of documenting a talented singer who died young with a deft hand, never letting the supporting cast and commentaries slide into idolatry. However, I can't help but think there was a LOT that was left unsaid, particularly from the women in his life. The two scenes that felt the rawest were the footage of him singing his own material for the first time in Sin-e (you really could have heard a pin drop), and when a journalist asked him where he saw himself in ten years. No one will ever know what went through his mind when he waded into the river, but I, for one, will always wonder what music he could have made if he had lived.

Here's the thing yeah it's really good. You could watch this movie many times just because it's charismatic. It's beautiful how the viewer gets to touch base with the artist.

The other thing about this thing is that Amy Berg chose not to discuss my sweetheart the drunk recording sessions. Buckley met and worked with Tom Verlaine. Buckley did not like the recordings that Verlaine produced for his second album. He left the state of New York to go to Memphis to record record his second album. It's quite revealing that Buckley was living there and not just there to produce the record but the thrust of Buckley's reason for going down there is muted because the director didn't address this album by name or discuss the music. Mary Gilbert references the recording in the beginning of the documentary Memphis frames where he was to record the music, but the documentary skips over discussing the music itself. This appears to have been done out of respect for Buckley who was unsatisfied with the recordings. But he made the recordings with Verlaine and he died in support of re-recording his music and the music is never discussed.