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PLOT: A documentary on the life and times of Montreal poet-singer-songerwriter Leonard Cohen, with performances of his work by musicians who worship at his altar.
I suspect that the music documentary Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man preaches to the Hallelujah choir.
For those of us hard-wired since birth to sing the praises of this melancholy Montreal poet-musician, the film is a singular pleasure. There are even rare moments of personal catharsis, because, in my youth, Cohen wormed his way into my state of being. He did so with his sadness, with his romantic cynicism, with his aching poems and songs. They gave my longing a voice.
But, for the merely curious, Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man seems to have become an exercise in frustration. That is because all but one of the performances here are by other musicians performing his work.
The man himself appears only in interview clips, in vintage footage and -- spectacularly -- in a cabaret presentation of his droll Tower Of Song. Cohen does it deadpan, dressed impeccably in Armani, with Bono singing backup harmonies and The Edge gutting it out on guitar.
I like this mix: A little bit of "live" Cohen, a lot of fresh takes on his songs from Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Antony, Beth Orton, Jarvis Cocker, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Nick Cave (whose anecdotes are illuminating), Perla Batalla, Teddy Thompson, The Handsome Family and the remarkable vocal gymnast Julie Christensen (whose eerie voice can sound like a human Theremin).
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Except for that New York club shoot with U2 and Cohen, all the performances are from a concert at the Sydney Opera House in February, 2005.
Director Lian Lunson (an erstwhile actress who once appeared in Dogs In Space before segueing into music documentaries) juxtaposes the concert excerpts, the interview segments and the vintage footage.
There are unnecessary gimmicks, such as the artsy red splotches and guttural drones that signal we are watching "Art" -- capital A. But the art is in the work, Ms. Lunson.
That brings us back to the Sydney concert, an offshoot of New York performances that were commissioned by the Canadian government as a Cohen tribute.
There are weak links.
Cave is too obsessed with Cohen's influence to perform without awkward artifice.
At the other end of the scale, the Wainwright siblings, whom Cohen credits with keeping his musical flame alive, do him great justice and remind us of their own wonderful talents.
There are oddities in between. Antony (without The Johnsons) is a herky-jerky ball of sadness waiting to explode -- and mesmerizing when singing If It Be Your Will.
Back to Cohen: Tower Of Song is priceless, but so are his stories, including the open apology to the late Janis Joplin for bragging that she was the one who was "giving me head on the unmade bed, while the limousines wait in the street" in his song Chelsea Hotel No. 2.
That is raw Cohen, sacred and profane -- and sad, too.
That is the essence of Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man.
BOTTOM LINE: Leonard Cohen devotees will immerse themselves in this doc because it illuminates his muse and his music. Casual fans might be frustrated.
(This film is rated G)