Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. Hallelujah indeed.

This film deserves praise simply for presenting Jeff as more than the guy who popularized Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I watched another documentary earlier this year, where a director was tasked with following a pending production of Turandot, and leaned very heavily on Nessun Dorma, the most overdone aria. Here, I actually got to learn about Jeff’s life, and hear some other music. I wasn’t a fan, not because I didn’t like him, but because I didn’t listen to him. So, exploring his life through his friends, family, and other artists was a rewarding time. They don’t pull punches, and paint the brilliant but flawed artist Jeff likely was.

Amy Berg is a very accomplished documentary director, having several notable works under her belt. None are quite like It’s Never Over, because she doesn’t usually direct music docs. She has a lot of social justice features, and perhaps, the search for the truth there pushes for it here. We are better for it, as so many documentaries paint their icon as flawless, and often because they are still alive. This is not that.

It still comes at a time full of documentaries about famous individuals, nearly all of which were ignored by the Academy, including this. Off the top of my head, this isn’t even the only one about a musician, with docs on Janis Ian, Simple Plan, Bono, Billy Joel, Selena, and Counting Crows quickly coming to mind, along with whatever you want to call Pavements. I think so many of these get lost in the shuffle, despite being all decent to great features. Hopefully now that this one is on HBo MAX with audio description, it will find its audience.

I did really enjoy hearing Jeff’s interpretation of the lyrics to Hallelujah, and where he comes from when he sings that. It’s poetic, and part of being an artist is being able to sell your interpretation through your performance.

He heard there was a secret chord, Jeff played it and it pleased the Lord. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, as the memory lives on, and your compelling story is now on film to attract new fans. Hallelujah indeed.

Fresh: Final Grade: 8.6/10