Moonage Daydream

Brett Morgen has already established himself as one of our best living documentarians with films as diverse as Cobain: Montage of Heck; The Kid Stays in the Picture; June 17th, 1994; and Jane. But with Moonage Daydream, he may have officially overtaken his peers.

Morgen’s David Bowie documentary casts a spell through a fascinating assemblage of archival clips, eschewing talking-head interviews and other conventional nonfiction tactics that almost surely would have impeded the film’s engrossing flow.

Through the largely chronological presentation of concert footage, TV interview segments, and various behind-the-scenes imagery, the director makes a compelling case for Bowie as one of the most consistently engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking artists of our time, all but guaranteeing a post-film deep dive into his discography.

It’s all presented in two hours and fifteen minutes that fly by, ending with a sense that another hour could easily have elapsed for enchanted viewers fully under Morgen’s wizardry.

Grade: A-minus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Carolina Cinemark and the Fine Arts Theatre.

(Photo: Neon)