Directed by Kevin Macdonald
It seems director Kevin Macdonald has no aversion to monolithic documentary projects. After condensing 24 hours of global minutia into the 96-minute Life in a Day, he now sets about exhaustively detailing Bob Marleys tragically short 36-year life. Running two-and-a-half hours, this profile is certainly comprehensive. However, you occasionally find yourself wishing it displayed more creativity and daring. Anything that mightve made it invigorating rather than just informative.
Instead, Marley diligently rounds up archival interview and performance footage of the reggae icon and intersperses it with contemporary reflections by his surviving family, friends, lovers, and collaborators. Uncovered in these talking head segments is one brilliant anecdote about how Marley and his band, The Wailers, overcame stage fright by practising in cemeteries in the middle of the night. However, more often than not, they simply revisit old wounds that have long since healed over. Of the countless interviewees, only Rita Marleys voice betrays the lingering pain of going from Bobs wife to a guardian angel who was relegated to ushering other women out of his bedroom.
And while Macdonald deserves some credit for giving due attention to the Rastafari faith and Jamaicas volatile political scene, he aggravatingly neglects to let any of Marleys songs play out in its entirety. Furthermore, Macdonald is content to allow people to prattle on about how incendiary Marleys concerts were rather than letting the performances speak for themselves. All told, Marley manages to sustain an engaging rhythm but proves itself lacking in terms of soul. C.W.
