Tribeca 2022: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Leonard Cohen is one of the most iconic singers and songwriters of all time and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also Canadian. Over the course of his illustrious career, the highlight is his writing one of the most iconic songs of all time, Hallelujah. The song has seen many renditions over the years, inspiring countless other singers and songwriters. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen A Journey A Song is a powerful documentary that chronicles the life of Cohen through the lens of the aforementioned song. Analyzing he and the song’s impact will take audiences on an emotional and inspirational journey across several decades with an impressive collection of archival footage of not only Cohen but several key figures of his life and those who have been impacted and/or inspired by the song. That being said, those looking for a more well-rounded look at Cohen may be disappointed by the scope of the film. However, that is merely a minor issue.

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen A Journey A Song is a five act documentary spanning the life and career of Cohen from its early stages in the late 1960s, focusing on his work over the course of seven years on Hallelujah which was eventually released on his seventh studio album, 1984’s Various Positions. Up until then, Cohen had lived quite the life as a poet and novelist before beginning his music career until his early 30s in 1967. For him, it would take some time until he came into his own as a singer and songwriter but from there, the rest was history, working with some prolific names in the music industry. However, the release of the song was when things got to another level though the song was not initially well-received when it was first released. That would of course change over time. While Cohen’s life story was interesting, the film kind of goes off track when exploring the impact of the song and its evolution since. These parts sometimes felt at odds with one another, better separate films that one combined one.

Nevertheless, the film still does a fantastic job at harnessing a considerable range of emotions that is sure to hit audiences right in the feels so much so that it’s easy to not notice that fact. The series of performances throughout the film are also sure to satisfy music fans.

Hallelujah!

still courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.