David Bowie: The Last Five Years

David Bowie was almost silent for a decade after 2003. He did not perform, gave no interviews, and many thought his career was over. Then in 2013 an album appeared without warning, a musical followed, and in 2016 Blackstar was released. Two days later Bowie died. This documentary covers those last five years. Francis Whately's film continues his 2013 documentary David Bowie: Five Years. The narrative rests on studio recordings, accounts from the musicians who worked with him, and rehearsal footage. Tony Visconti, Gail Ann Dorsey and Michael C. Hall, who performed in the musical Lazarus, are among those who speak. At the centre of the film is a question: when did Bowie learn he was ill, and how much of the final work was a deliberate closing. The narrative gives no firm answer, but looking at the recording of Blackstar it shows the choice was intentional. Who it's for: Bowie listeners, and viewers who like music documentary and accounts of studio process. Who it's not for: There is nothing here for a viewer curious about his early period. The narrative is also admiring throughout.