Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere tells us why Bruce is the Boss!
After all these weeks, I must confess something: I have a particular fondness for the biopic genre. Do you also love getting a peek behind the scenes of the people you admire? Or are you tired of it by now? After all, the success of Bohemian Rhapsody catapulted a series of musician biopic films, some good, some not so good, and others plainly tired. As a Bruce Springsteen fan, I couldn’t contain the thrill when seeing the trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, but as time went on, I got scared it was going to be much of muchness. Oh, boy, was I wrong!
Directed by Scott Cooper (Black Mass & Hostiles), Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere stars Jeremy Allen White as a fantastic Bruce Springsteen dealing with personal and professional struggles after the enormous success of The River (1980). When the industry begs Springsteen for another rock album, Bruce goes on a journey fighting the ghosts of his past, which culminates in a highly uncommon decision. Without any promotional press or release of singles, Bruce puts out Nebraska (1982), an album considered by many to be a masterpiece of acoustic character-driven storytelling. Jeremy Allen White portrays this period of Springsteen’s life expertly, with an impressive range of emotions. However, he is far from being alone, being supported by the brilliant performances of Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau of Odessa Young as the fictional Faye Romano, and Stephen Graham as Douglas Springsteen – Bruce’s father.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is never about the big stages in which Bruce spent most of the 1980s, but about his personal journey with depression and the support he has had dealing with it. It is a film not about Springsteen, the rock star, but about Bruce, the man. It shows us that being strong is not the opposite of being vulnerable; it deconstructs the toxic masculinity that often permeates fame and, through its fragility, shows us why Bruce is the Boss.
So, this week, make sure you don’t miss Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere at The Dukes. Whether you are a fan of the rawness of Nebraska, the Pop-Rock energy of Born in the USA, or the lyrical depth of The River, this film is for you, because “in this office, we believe in Bruce Springsteen”.
Written by João Eduardo Lima Belchior
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is currently playing until Sunday 16th November.
