Review: Marley

 

I’ll be the first to admit my Bob Marley knowledge is very limited. Sure, I know his songs and recognize his face on posters from the undergraduate experience, but knew little else about the iconic musician. I wasn’t even confident when he passed away and I assumed it was from drugs. However, something attracted me to attend the screening of the film. I believe documentaries, if done correctly, have the ability to educate, inform, challenge, and, if necessary entertain the viewers. As someone who wanted an in-depth perspective of Bob Marley, I got it from the insightful documentary ‘Marley’.

The documentary ‘Marley’ is the definitive non-fiction feature that chronicles Bob Marley’s dynamic life, influential music, and numerous relationships (he fathered 11 children from 7 different women).  We hear interviews from his devoted wife, easy going children, fellow musicians even mistresses describe the career musician and intimate personal moments of Bob Marley. Void of voiceover narration and heavy on historical significance, ‘Marley’ focuses on the origins of reggae and the rise of a revolutionary during a Jamaican political turmoil. Director Kevin Macdonald (an Oscar winner for “One Day in September”) adds a lot of depth to his subject matter and provides a lot of information on Bob Marley.

The personal interviews were the strength of the engaging documentary on ‘Marley’. One scene, which brought personal joy to me, was to hear Mr. Marley’s experience recovering from cancer treatment. In describing Bob Marley, his very old nurse painted a picture of a humble, unique man. I felt we got to really know a man at a vulnerable spot toward the end of his life. Another element I enjoyed was seeing archival crowd reaction shots, both pictures and videos. This brought a sense of infectious energy to the documentary.

Unfortunately, one aspect of ‘Marley’ I found almost tedious was the films snail-like pacing. At 2 hours and 24 minutes, the film tests the patience of the casual moviegoer…even the documentary connoisseur such as myself. Some of the scenes drag on and overstay their welcome. Normally a music documentary would contain a 15-30 second sound clip. Songs featured in ‘Marley’ are played unnecessary almost in their entirety.

 

During my advanced screening, a ring tone blaring “One Love” went off a few times. At this point, I realized the pacing was the point of ‘Marley’. This is like the equivalent to a diehard Marley fan that wants to take their time with reflecting on the music, culture, and experience that encompassed a legendary man such as Bob Marley. I found my own “Redemption Song” for my critical reaction to the slower moments. After all, ‘Marley’ is a film for the fans, which might explain why it debuts both theatrically and VOD on April 20^th.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10