Coming to NYC theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 2: BRAND: A SECOND COMING
Ondi Timoner’s portrait of provocateur comedian Russell Brand had its world premiere at SXSW this year. It has gone on to screen at BFI London, Los Angeles, Sarasota, Ashland, Sidewalk, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, and Seattle, among others.
Taking on a subject who has likened himself to the Messiah is no easy task, but Timoner manages to balance his admitted narcissism with insight more often then not, preventing this from being a celebrity puff piece or hagiographic biopic. Her film takes on a lot – not only providing an extended history of the life and meteoric career of the comedian for those who may only know him as a short-lived Mr Katy Perry, but also chronicling his descent and recovery from addiction, his re-invention as a social critic/activist/author, and, if that’s not enough, his global stand-up tour, “Messiah Complex.” Timoner’s ultimately compelling film successfully captures Brand’s ambivalence as he seeks to transcend what’s expected of his celebrity and agitate for something else – even if he’s often a bit hazy on the details.
what (not) to doc 