Tags

, ,

Monday 12/15/14

Nico. A Model and Fellini beauty, a Factory Girl, a singer with The Velvet Underground, a junkie. This documentary by Susanne Ofteringer, tracks Nico’s life from striking beauty, Femme Fatale, to a barely recognizable David Bowie look-a-like merely 10 year later.

The film progresses with snippets or chapters from people close to her in a not so linear fashion, going from her 3rd quarter of fame back to beginning and mid career and then jumping to the end. Stylistically, it attempts to recreate an avant garde feel much like the Warhol period of her career as one character is introduced, to shed light on one specific aspect of her life, and then disappears from the film. James Young, her band mate in the early to mid ’80s, opens with a discussion of her dark side: drugs, knife fights, fascination with death. He is a compelling story teller, wish there was more from him. May need to check out his book about this stage of her life. But then like other story tellers we never see him again.

Then the film switches to German and Nico’s early life as told by her Aunt, also attractive; has her eyes. Progresses to French and English depending upon the chapter. One thing becomes plain, Nico was a Bohemian, unrooted. Nico disparages her German ancestry but never calls a country home: France, US, England, Spain, etc. Disregards family even, doesn’t visit her son for three years but when she does, brings an orange as a present.

Halfway through the documentary and Nico’s draw, allure is still not clear apart from her apparent beauty as she is not well spoken, doesn’t share ideas, and has a monotone singing voice. Too, the film seems to be setting up one thing and then taking a left turn. It shows pictures and video of her beauty while simultaneously talking about her deterioration from drugs, tracks up the arm, pockmarks, rotten teeth; shows the artistry of Andy Warhol, The Factory, and The Velvet Underground but yet speaks to how unimpressed others were in her talent.

A good portion of the film covers her relationship with Alain Delon and how they had a child, raised by Alain’s parents. Nico’s mother-in-law is on camera speaking about how she chose her grandchild over her son but a good portion of the film goes by without Ari making an appearance, makes you wonder if this child even survived a negligent mother (Nico reportedly gave her child heroin at one point). Ari finally makes an appearance in the final chapter. Soft spoken, at times unclear, he speaks of his relationship with his mother particularly towards the end of her life. Kind of an opposite mother, there for the end but not beginning. Has her eyes.

Overall a good documentary that doesn’t follow convention, like the subject, Nico, herself.

  • Subject: 4
  • Camera: 3.75
  • Style: 3.75
  • Soundtrack: 3.5
  • Overall: 4
  • Total: 4.00