Leonard
Cohen has always remained something of an enigma. Even if you haven’t heard
of him, it’s likely that you’ve hummed along to a few of his songs in
your day. I’m Your Man is an insightful biopic and concert film that serves
as a lovely introduction for those who aren’t as familiar with the man as
they should be and a terrific tribute for those who are. Cohen speaks candidly
of his past, his decision to become a songwriter (along with his fascinating philosophy
about what it is to be a songwriter) his loves, his daughter and a host of other
fascinating things. What a serious treat this is, to get a glimpse into the mind
of this beloved man, and to hear him discuss a wide range of topics with his singular
intelligence and charm.
The
documentary portion is intercut with mesmerizing concert footage, featuring a
number of his gifted contemporaries offering their interpretations of his seminal
work. The performers are perfectly suited to the task and include the likes of
Rufus Wainwright and his brilliant sister Martha, as well as their venerable mother
and aunt The McGarrigle Sisters, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Antony from Antony and
the Johnsons, Jarvis Cocker and Linda and Teddy Thompson. The musical portion
was inspiring to say the least, but I’d have to say my favorite came from
that strange androgynous creature Antony, his and the last performance where Leonard
himself croons the title song with a little back up outfit known as U2.
Cohen
was surprisingly open about his infamous tryst with Janice Joplin, and his tea
and oranges with the real “Suzanne.” Among the many things I learned
during the course of the film is why he has always chosen to wear suits, and that
his songs come about from a yeoman like work ethic much more so than fleeting
inspiration. In carefully worded and paced conversational language he offers his
revelatory anecdotes about his life freely. After deciding to pursue a life as
a songwriter he speaks of the process as a job with regular hours that he observes
just like any other. The amount of time he frequently takes to perfect a song
is legendary. Each word is tirelessly scrutinized and when he’s finished,
as U2’s the Edge described it, “it’s like a man come down from
the mountaintop with tablets of stone.”
Through
it all Cohen remains humble and self-deprecatory, cautious and a little bit sly
- but for a man who has always shied away from the limelight and has been out
of the public eye for decades this intimate and illuminating glimpse into the
life of one of the most fearlessly brilliant men to ever put word to melody, is
a rare thing.
