Review by © Jane Freebury
Who was Heath Ledger? His take on the Joker,
Batman’s nemesis in The Dark Knight, was
transfixing, with a vicious malevolence that seemed to spill from the screen. Jack
Nicholson’s famous take on the character in 1989 was only cartoon caricature,
after all.
Ledger’s performance in Brokeback Mountain was also memorable,
riveting even, in entirely different ways. The director Ang Lee says it is the
thing he remembers most about his extraordinary film. As cowboy Ennis Del Mar, Ledger’s
character was imprisoned by suppressed desire and an inability to say much, an
impression carried despite him having most of the lines in the film.
What we learn or confirm in this
documentary on the short life of the actor is that Ledger was much more than a
tousle-haired surfer boy from Perth who liked hanging out with his mates. There
were many sides to him. It was a surprise to learn that as an 11-year-old
schoolboy, he was a junior state chess champion. This was around the time that
his parents separated and subsequently re-married.
Ledger opened himself up in front of the
camera and he was generous with people he cared about. He had a grand piano
delivered to the home of a musician friend. It was a gift. Fellow Aussies stayed
at his home in LA anytime they needed to, even while he was away working in
Europe. He was a natural dancer, a talented photographer, and was about to
direct his own film when he died of cardiac arrest connected with the overuse
of prescription medicine, at 28 years of age.
As interviews begin in front of a stark
studio backdrop, I am Heath Ledger
becomes a moving experience, particularly when we hear from the actor Ben
Mendelsohn, friends N’Fa Forster-Jones and Trevor DiCarlo, and filmmaker Matt
Amato reflecting on Ledger’s talent. Besides the numerous interviews, many with
family and former lovers too, the film is rich with archival footage, often
shot by Ledger himself who seemed to always have a camera to hand.
The doco is replete with revelations about
the depths of Ledger’s talent, but by skirting the no-go areas of the inner
self it unfortunately loses impact.
Michelle Williams, his partner of three
years and mother of his only child, could have shed some light on this. Why
wasn’t she included? Did she decline an offer, did she wish to protect her
young daughter? While the determination to celebrate Ledger’s life, his personal
qualities and artistic legacy, is fine—rather than focus on his demise, as some
celebrity documentaries do—this a significant omission.
I am
Heath Ledger, directed by Derik Murray and Adrian
Buitenhuis, is endorsed by Ledger’s family. With this assertive title, the doco
offers a definitive, once-and-for-all assessment, but its refusal to explore
what drove Ledger to use prescription medicine in the first place, has closed
the door on exploring what drove his talent too.
Understanding the depths of his talent is
revelatory and rewarding, but it didn’t need preclude our understanding of why he
died so young.
3.5 Stars
Also published at Jane's blog
