{"id":3000,"date":"2017-04-25T17:13:13","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T17:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2017\/04\/25\/the-stirring-i-am-heath-ledger-frames-the-world-through-the-lens-of-an-artist-tribeca-review\/"},"modified":"2017-04-25T17:13:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T17:13:13","slug":"the-stirring-i-am-heath-ledger-frames-the-world-through-the-lens-of-an-artist-tribeca-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2017\/04\/25\/the-stirring-i-am-heath-ledger-frames-the-world-through-the-lens-of-an-artist-tribeca-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stirring \u2018I Am Heath Ledger\u2019 Frames The World Through The Lens Of An Artist [Tribeca Review]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rodrigo Perez \/ The Playlist<\/em><\/p>\n

When was the last time you thought to yourself, \u201cgee, I can\u2019t wait for a Spike TV documentary?\u201d It\u2019s not that Spike isn\u2019t good at\u2026 erm, what they do for their audience\u2014cable channel programming for male adults\u2014but let\u2019s face it, their reality TV and sports programming (shows by Adam Carolla, Dave Navarro\u2019s tattoo show and \u201cLip Sync Battle\u201d), doesn\u2019t actually scream captivating documentaries that make their debut at reasonably\u00a0prestigious festivals like the Tribeca Film Festival.<\/p>\n

An outlier in their programming and tone, the new documentary \u201cI Am Heath Ledger\u201d about the late, great Australian actor, perhaps points to a new and mature direction for the channel. Or perhaps it\u2019s an aberration, but either way, this intimate and soulful documentary directed by Adrian Buitenhuisand Derik Murray, should lend the channel some newfound credibility; it\u2019s that surprisingly good, even as it mostly sticks to a familiar format of talking heads testimonials, excerpts of great performances. And it feels deeply personal despite being made by two strangers. But its defining characteristic is Ledger\u2019s own curious and hungry perspective of the world\u2014the doc features a treasure trove of pre-existing footage shot by Ledger himself that is cut together in an incredibly effective and emotionally stirring fashion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t be here. This shouldn\u2019t be happening,\u201d musician Ben Harper intones solemnly at the beginning the doc. This conversation shouldn\u2019t be taking place, he says. Heath Ledger should still be alive, thriving and thrilling the world with his art. Documentaries about the dearly departed and the exceptionally gifted are often devotional even worshipping, and while clearly adoring, \u201cI Am Heath Ledger,\u201d not only strikes the perfect balance of affection and truthful storytelling, but makes an extremely convincing argument for the case that Ledger was a true artist beyond what you already know, who should have been destined for all-time greatness. Passing away all too early at 28, the moving memorial can only compellingly point to what might have been, but still, cements the actor\u2019s status as an icon.<\/p>\n

Starting with the early days of Australia, to his pilgrimage to America, his breakthrough, \u00a0his rise to Hollywood fame and his tragic death, \u201cI Am Heath Ledger,\u201d hits all the expected beats of the \u201cBrokeback Mountain\u201d actor\u2019s life, but does so with such absorbing care, the familiar still feels authentic.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Preview: 20 Must-See Films To Watch<\/a><\/p>\n

Featuring interviews and testimonials by friends and colleagues like Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn,Ang Lee, Emile Hirsch, Catherine Hardwicke, plus all his childhood best mates, many of whom stayed with him on his journey to America, Ledger\u2019s commitment to his art, his acting and his lust for life emerges as the dominant theme. Many of them of course, were bowled away by not only his prodigious talents, but his driven quest for excellence and generosity of spirit.<\/p>\n

Even if the film doesn\u2019t offer much in the way of great discovery, the major\u00a0take away from the doc is the picture of Ledger as an\u00a0uber-creative artist above all else\u2013Ledger practically co-directed the film himself. An avid documentarian of his own life, Ledger was constantly filming himself, his friends, his partners and his exploits. Not as a narcissistic endeavor, but as one who is trying to relentlessly capture life. To this end, Ledger was an unremitting, perhaps even annoying photographer, always seen with a camera in hand and always chronicling the world around him. Taking this to its logical conclusion as Ledger directed music videos for friends like Ben Harper, it\u2019s clear Ledger would eventually have moved into the world of feature-length filmmaking. The documentation and photography in many ways acted as a training ground for understanding the power of the camera and the fundamentals of filmmaking. Ledger was curious, constantly soaking up the possibilities of visual creativity like a sponge.<\/p>\n

The second, ultimately more ominous deduction was Ledger\u2019s restless creativity, something of a curse as it led to a major issue with sleep that obviously gave way to his untimely death in 2008 from an accidental overdose of sleeping medication.<\/p>\n

We all know the trajectory of Ledger\u2019s artistic life, after \u201cBrokeback Mountain\u201d and his phenomenal turn in \u201cThe Dark Knight,\u201d it seemed the young thespian was poised for a greatness we hadn\u2019t yet witnessed. But Buitenhuis and Murray\u2019s movie presents much emotional context to this journey. It\u2019s a recognizable narrative, but it\u2019s reinforced and made affecting by the shape of their well-constructed film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Am Heath Ledger\u201d leans into Ledger\u2019s artistry and away from any celebrity trappings. And while the utter lack of sensationalistic drama sometimes makes the documentary feel like a purposeful course correction against the tide of past unfounded rumors, its viewpoint feels like a genuine portrait of who Heath Ledger truly was.<\/p>\n

Leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the movie is, of course, the absence of\u00a0Michelle Williams.While the actress did sign off on the movie, she obviously decided not to participate and perhaps respectful of her privacy, the film shies away from centering too much on their relationship and their daughter Matilda.<\/p>\n

Before veering too deeply into his death, \u201cI Am Heath Ledger,\u201d moves towards a summary graph that while wrapping things up quickly, still lands persuasively. While bittersweet in its conclusion, the composed and solemn film avoids both hagiography and morose moments, never wallowing or lionizing its subject. Ultimately, this rueful picture of Heath Ledger\u00a0is a loving celebration of a passionate spirit and a tribute fittingly seen through the eyes of the artist himself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rodrigo Perez \/ The Playlist When was the last time you thought to yourself, \u201cgee, I can\u2019t wait for a Spike TV documentary?\u201d It\u2019s not that Spike isn\u2019t good at\u2026 erm, what they do for their audience\u2014cable channel programming for male adults\u2014but let\u2019s face it, their reality TV and sports programming (shows by Adam Carolla, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Stirring \u2018I Am Heath Ledger\u2019 Frames The World Through The Lens Of An Artist [Tribeca Review] - Thunderbird Entertainment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thunderbird.tv\/2017\/04\/25\/the-stirring-i-am-heath-ledger-frames-the-world-through-the-lens-of-an-artist-tribeca-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Stirring \u2018I Am Heath Ledger\u2019 Frames The World Through The Lens Of An Artist [Tribeca Review] - 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