Amy Berg's new documentary, 'It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,' offers a sympathetic and urgent look at the life and untimely death of the 1990s singer-songwriter. The film delves into Buckley's early life, his meteoric rise, and the pressures of the music industry that contributed to his tragic end at age 30.
Buckley, known for his exquisite voice and hit album 'Grace,' struggled with the demands of touring and the expectation to produce a follow-up. The documentary highlights how meeting his heroes, such as Paul McCartney and Robert Plant, further heightened his anxiety. Berg uses extensive archive footage, including answering machine messages and MTV clips, to paint a vivid picture of his life.
The film features contributions from Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, who is also an executive producer, and two of his former girlfriends, Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser. It explores his complex relationship with his father, Tim Buckley, a singer who died of a heroin overdose at a similar age, and how Jeff's career was inadvertently launched by singing at his father's memorial service.
Buckley drowned accidentally in Wolf River Harbor, Memphis, in 1997, at the age of 30. The documentary treats his story with sensitivity, focusing on his artistic legacy and the personal struggles behind the public persona.
