Shot on location in London & Brighton, Andrew Dominik’s feature documentary THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE captures Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ creative relationship as they bring to life the songs from their last two studio albums, Ghosteen by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Carnage by Cave & Warren Ellis.
In this document of their first ever performances of these albums, filmed in spring 2021 ahead of their UK tour, the two accompanied by singers and string quartet, nurture each song into existence.
The film features a special appearance by close friend and long-term collaborator, Marianne Faithfull.
Shot in colour by Andrew Dominik and with cinematography by Robbie Ryan, This Much I Know To Be True is a companion piece to Dominik’s 2016 film One More Time with Feeling.
It reaches into the deep friendship and personal relationship between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, something glimpsed in the 2014 Cave pseudo-documentary, 20,000 Days on Earth.
The film will prove to be another significant moment in the journeys of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, capturing the mood and spirit of the pair as they move through a new, optimistic phase.
The film now released in Ireland has won strong praise for its documentation of two creative talents and is particularly poignant given the tragic recent death of Cave’s son Jethro Lazenby.
Jordan King from Empire Magazine described it as ”Musically sublime, gracefully directed, and filled with an inspiring optimism that couldn’t be more timely, this is another first-class exercise in capturing music on film from Dominik, Cave and Ellis.”
Another positive summation came from Paul Byrnes of the Sydney Morning Herald ‘‘I’ve never been a big fan of Cave. This film made me rethink his talent and gifts. Some will long for the days of short, sharp and violent Cave, the baddest of the bad seeds, but this new Cave is like a messenger from a higher place in the tower of song.”
Film buff extraordinaire Mark Kermode of Film4 and the Guardian in the UK wrote: ”The atmosphere is stripped down and austere, allowing the songs to speak for themselves as they transport us from this world to the next.”
