User Reviews

I hosted the first showing of this documentary in Colorado July 28th 2012, and can honestly say that I loved it.

I had the pleasure of meeting Elliott briefly twice in the mid 90's after shows after falling in love with Heatmeiser, and have been a huge fan ever since. Coming from that standpoint, there were several details that stood out to me about this movie: 1) The director is almost non-existent. This isn't a Michael Moore style documentary. No one every appears on camera except the people being interviewed. There are no voice overs, and the directors voice is only quietly heard once or twice asking a question. 99.9% of the movie is people who knew Elliott very well, telling stories and discussing their thoughts and experiences on his life.

2) It covers Elliott's entire life in music, starting with high school. Even though I have been a huge fan since the early 90's, and read The Big Nothing twice, there were great stories and insights into Elliott's life that I had never heard.

3) The humor. By all accounts Elliott was a very funny guy when hanging around his friends, and hearing those stories, or seeing video of him dissing a song he wrote as "sounding like the Eagles" made for many laugh out loud moments in a movie that often moved me to tears.

4) The interviews with Jennifer Chiba. For some reason this has become a "controversial" part of the film, but I greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear from her, in her own words, what happened that night. Whether she is believable or not is really beyond the point to me, each viewer can make up their own mind on that. I prefer to have as much information as possible, and the inclusion of the interviews with her was one of the most vital parts of the film to me.

5)The lack of conclusion or opinion. This is what good reporting is. Provide as much information to the viewer as possible, and allow them to draw their own conclusions. This film is not a fan boy tribute to an artist they loved. There were moments that were very tough for me, as a huge fan, to watch, but it is exactly those moments that were the most informative. In my view the greatest success of the film is that it does not paint Elliott as an angel who could do no wrong, nor as an out of control self destructive who was doomed to end badly. It shows Elliott to be what I am sure he really was, a complicated musical genius who touched millions of people with his songs.

I recently watched Searching for Elliott Smith and would highly recommend it as an informative, "bird's eye view" on the trajectory of his demise. Gil Reyes, the filmmaker, sought out many of those closest to Elliott Smith and does an excellent job conveying their thoughts, fears, sadness, confusion, even clarity on why his life ended in such a tragic way.

Elliott Smith possessed a rare depth and a knowing, as well as a singular understanding of music, that was ahead of his time and inimitable. He touched and continues to touch so many.

I had only known his work vis-a-vis that stellar musicianship; those songs my young son played constantly after losing his own father. These songs helped heal both of us through deep grief. We've spent many days watching the videos of his live performances and interviews on YouTube; visiting (and writing on) the Elliott Smith Wall in Silverlake, speculating as to why someone imbued with such a wild gift would be struck by an unflinching depression that would ultimately lead to his suicide.

The documentary was a window that helped me see and understand Elliott Smith through the lives of those who knew and loved him so well. And most importantly, it gave a voice to the love of his life, Jennifer Chiba; an opportunity to explain, in her words, what happened on that final day that he chose to end his life.

Reyes creates an intimacy in this film, so that the viewer feels like he or she is in the room too. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in knowing more about one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our time.

--Susan Hayden, Santa Monica, CA