Every climax marks a beginning. That's what we witness in Greetings from Tim Buckley, which opens in 1991 when unknown LA rocker Jeff Buckley (a strong Penn Badgley) is invited to play at a tribute concert for his late father Tim, the celebrated '60s folk-rock star whom Jeff barely knew. Jeff is riddled with self-doubt and being in his father's shadow, but soon falls for a mysterious young woman named Allie (Imogen Poots) volunteering at the gig, who helps to inspire him. Intertwined with this is the story of Tim's (Ben Rosenfeld) own rise to fame in 1966, exploring how he had to resist the lure of the counterculture and the cost of being an absentee parent, a status of which Jeff understandably grew up to resent.
Despite being a great fan of folk and indie rock, I'm not actually that familiar with either of the Buckleys' music, but I'm proof you don't need to be in order to enjoy Greetings from Tim Buckley. Director/co-writer Dan Algrant's love of both artists proves contagious, and his direction is beautifully balanced and restrained. He handles the more intimate moments with clear-sightedness and strong empathy, while the rehearsal and concert scenes are utterly authentic and well-framed. They really do give you the same sensations as a rock show: you can sense the venting, the aesthetic dirtiness, the aural inescapability, but above all, the genuine unity that develops between the performers and the audience.
Yet, even more significantly, it eventually emphasizes the strongest unity of all: the kind between a father and son. And, in this case, a father and son who both became spokesmen for a generation.
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