How to Watch Moonage Daydream, The David Bowie Documentary
David Bowie has always been larger than life. Whether it was his incredible and colorful outfits, his idiosyncratic personality, or his unforgettable music, Bowie can certainly be considered one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, which means that a personality as elusive but impressive as Bowie calls for a documentary that can capture all of its immeasurable qualities and then some. Enter filmmaker board tomorrowis captivating Moontime Daydreaman epic documentary that promises to deliver all of Bowie’s eccentricities without dishonoring the myth behind the legend.
Moontime Daydream is an explosive mix of previously unreleased Bowie archive footage and live concert footage. It is also the first documentary about David Bowie to be approved by his estate. The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the film for its experimental, offbeat structure.
Morgen had developed Moontime Daydream for at least four years and already announced the film in 2021. Morgen received exclusive permission to develop the film from the Bowie Estate, the first filmmaker to be so heavily exposed to Bowie’s extensive body of work. Tomorrow, unprecedented access was granted to five million items owned by Bowie, including paintings, drawings, recordings, photographs, films and magazines. Morgen worked closely with him Tony Visconti to monitoring all of this never-before-released material. Visconti was Bowie’s music producer for years and gave Morgen a personal knowledge of Bowie’s professional life.
Morgen is the best example of Bowie’s way of life, which was to take fragments of his own life, such as art, family and politics, and create his own existence out of them. Morgen’s documentary uses the same approach, taking fragments from Bowie’s life and turning them into the ultimate cinematic experience. In this sense, Morgen avoids the typical “music-biographical documentary” approach. That makes Moontime Daydream the perfect cinematic experience for the big screen, where images and music intertwine in sensory overload. Morgen showers you with snippets of rare behind-the-scenes footage from Bowie’s concerts, then rocks the speakers with pulsating music from Bowie’s discography. It’s an experience tailored for the giant IMAX screen.
There are many reasons to watch Moontime Daydream On the big screen. For one thing, Morgen lets some of Bowie’s concerts play almost in full. He creates a cacophony of swirling emotions from Bowie’s live musical performances, creating an almost uninterrupted montage of exploding images and sounds from start to finish. Morgen connects all the different periods of Bowie’s life in a way that pays great respect to the musician. It shouldn’t work quite the way it does, but despite its slightly repetitive nature, Moontime Daydream never feels redundant or boring. Like David Bowie himself, it’s larger than life in the best sense.
Moontime Daydream hit theaters on September 16, 2022. Here’s how you can watch the movie.
Is Moonage Daydream streaming online?
Moontime Daydream is expected to appear on HBO MAX sometime in spring 2023.
Moontime Daydream is currently playing in select IMAX theaters nationwide. It will be available at IMAX until September 23, 2022. After that, it will leave IMAX theaters but will continue to be available theatrically in most major American cities.
What is Moonage Daydream about?
The official synopsis for Moontime Daydream read:
MOONAGE DAYDREAM: a cinematic odyssey exploring Bowie’s creative, spiritual and musical journey. Born from the visionary mind of Brett Morgen, Moonage Daydream features compelling, never-before-seen footage and performances from David Bowie’s 54-year career. The film features 40 exclusively remastered Bowie songs and is the first film ever to be sanctioned by the Bowie Estate with local access to the artists’ archives.
Neon released the first teaser trailer for Moontime Daydream on May 23, 2022. The trailer set the tone for the documentary, beginning with a mysterious figure walking down a hallway with an ominous voiceover describing what could only be Mr. David Bowie himself. As the voiceover ends, an announcer asks, “Are you there, David Bowie?” We then get our first look at Bowie, while images of Bowie’s concerts and other performances alternate in quick succession with audio clips of Bowie over the decades. It’s an intriguing teaser trailer that alludes to a bold documentary that promises to clearly fit Bowie’s larger-than-life personality.
More movies like Moonage Daydream
amy – Directed by Asif Kapadia, this 2015 British documentary follows Amy Winehouse’s life and her battle with substance abuse. Kapadia conducted more than 100 interviews with close friends and family of Winehouse. The documentary gives a tender but candid look at Winehouse as an artist and a person who lived through great pain but also great joy. The documentary also includes various unheard tracks Winehouse completed before her death in 2011 Moontime Daydream, amy is an unprecedented and deeply personal look at Winehouse’s life, from her struggles to her victories.
What happened Miss Simone? – Directed by Liz Garbus, What happened Miss Simone? is a 2015 American documentary film about musician Nina Simone. The documentary traces Simone’s life from her time as a civil rights activist to her incredible career as a singer and musician. The documentary also includes previously unreleased archive footage of Simone that bears a clear resemblance to Moontime Daydream. It’s a very personal look at one of the most renowned and powerful musicians of all time. What happened Miss Simone? was nominated for Best Documentary at the 88th Academy Awards.
Cobain: Mounting from stern – Directed by Brett Morgen. Moontime Daydream isn’t the first time Morgen has delved into the inner workings of a famous musician. Cobain: Mounting from stern is a 2015 American documentary film about the personal life of Kurt Cobain. The documentary explores nearly every facet of Cobain’s life, from his birth in 1967 to his rise to fame as the frontman of Nirvana. if Moontime Daydream and Mounting from stern have something in common is Morgens loving love for deconstructing famous icons. In both films, Morgan takes these mythical, larger-than-life characters and makes them feel real and human.