Spirits in the Forest

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 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!

I enjoyed the movie a lot. It's a very strange experience to see your favourite band at the cinema. I'm used to seeing them in arenas playing live. The individual stories of the six fans picked from sea of devotees were touching. One criticism though is that I thought the film was too short. I think the whole audience was a bit surprised when it came to an end and the credits rolled. Everyone stayed in their seats, just in case there was more to come. I wanted to see more live footage (although I understand that the full show will be coming out next year in a physical format - dvd) and wanted to delve more into these people's lives. Each one different, each one simple in its own way, just reminding us that all stories are worth telling however big or small. They all highlighted what it is to be human, the emotions we feel through the turmoils we encounter in our lives, some more serious than others. And THAT is the connection to Depeche Mode. Their music depicts what it is like to be and feel human. No emotion is left behind. Their music covers pretty much the whole repertoire of emotions and that's why people relate to them. Their music tells us that it's ok to feel even the darkest emotions as they're all part of life. Through Depeche Mode one learns acceptance; of others, but most importantly of oneself. A lot like therapy, but so much more exciting.

November 21, 2019 may remain in history for several reasons. One of them is the fact that on this day, the premiere of the documentary 'Spirits in the Forest' took place simultaneously in many cities around the world, The event that inspired the film is the concert of the group Depeche Mode that took place in Berlin in 2017 as part of their Global Spirit Tour. The information provided by the event organizers indicates that these screenings are intended to be unique events with the public, so I can consider myself lucky because our local cinematheque was one of the locations where the documentary was screened. If indeed the public screenings will be limited, even for a while, this movie has a chance to become, at least for the Depeche Mode's enthusiastic fans audience, another item in the series of cult objects that support the band's fame, beyond its musical merits.

The film makers chose a structure different from that of other musical documentaries. They did not present the concert from start to end, and did not include behind the scenes information or expert comments about the musicians and their music. Instead they chose to focus on the lives of six fans of the band from six different places in the world - Mongolia, Colombia, United States, Romania, France and Germany - all coming to Berlin to see their idols. They went into their biographies and listened to testimonies about how Depeche Mode's music influenced their lives. One of the women had been suffering from cancer and the group's music accompanied her long and painful hours of treatment. The man in Colombia was separated from the two teenage children and part of their connection was to create music videos in which they played the band's music. The young woman from Mongolia had learned English using the texts of the group's songs. Of course it is only a sample, but it can also be a key to understanding why tens of thousands of spectators, sometimes coming from all over the world, gather in halls or stadiums to experience such events.

There is a risk that the fans of music documentaries and filmed concerts will be disappointed. For example, I'm not a fan of Depeche Mode, and I didn't find out much about the band in this movie. It seemed strange to me to subtitle the dialogues although all the interviewees spoke clear and impeccable English, but not the texts of the songs. The music of course eventually captivates and is well filmed, but it was not the focus. 'Spirits in the Forest' is a movie less about Depeche Mode and more about some of the fans of the group.

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.