Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest

A film aimed at and for Depeche fans of course but it hits the mark perfectly. The stories of the people travelling to attend the last concert of the Global Spirit tour in Berlin are varied, interesting, moving, and inspiring. Their personal backgrounds and individual connections to the bands music is interspersed with footage of that gig, and it makes for an absolute treat for a fan of 35 years like myself. Superbly shot by long time collaborator Anton Corbijn, the film ended in the cinema where I saw it with several "awws", as it finished too soon.

I am a huge fan of DM. I had high expectations and this film delivered in a big way. As a fan I can relate to how each one of the fans showcased in the film felt about this amazing band. DM has touched many lives around the world through their music. It was a pleasure to sit back and watch this movie.

As the movie ended, not a single person stood up to leave. We all wanted an encore! We were all waiting for an encore!

The movie shows what an impact Depeche mode can have on their fans and how loyal they can be. Only true devotees can fully appreciate the movie as only they will relive the feelings from DM concerts. But also other people might get a lot out of the movie if they don't expect something that this movie is not.

DM fan? Go and see the movie.

Growing up with this band and basically living and breathing them as well as seeing them on many occasions on stage, behind the stage as well as touring after them to many different locations, meeting different cultures, the creativity of people and the whole cult around this band was something the movie just scratched at the surface. Unfortunately is the connection between the band (btw only seen on stage throughout the movie) - and fans very much disjointed in this movie. A meet and great, behind the scenes , maybe? Is it really necessary to tell us a fans live story. Where is the connection to the band? Am I really interested as a DM fan? Yes there have been a couple of short very good examples, worth mentioning the "Romanian king" or the Colombian DMK story, Not enough though. Where are the crazy collectors, the 'look a likes'., the fan stories that still create goosebumps due their similarities to your own...? And that's what this movie should have been all about.

I was a bit skeptical about the fan stories at the beginning, but I had to realize it made the movie much more special than just a concert film . All the stories were unique and different from each other , some of them were really emotional, the others were inspiring. The concert itself was obviously brilliant, Dave made an outstanding performance as always and so are the others. I really loved the entire build up of the movie, showing a bit of the fans, then showing a bit of the concert back and forth during the entire movie. It's a must see to every Depeche Mode fan, wherever you're a hardcore fan or someone who just go into their music, because this movie will make you appreciate their music much better.