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20,000 Days on Earth

Play trailer Poster for 20,000 Days on Earth 2014 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 86 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A therapist's questions and a visit to a voluminous archive propel a dramatization of a day in the life of musician and cultural icon Nick Cave.
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20,000 Days on Earth

20,000 Days on Earth

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Critics Consensus

Revealing yet respectful, 20,000 Days on Earth is essential viewing for any Nick Cave fan.

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Critics Reviews

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Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 01/05/2015
"Something happens onstage," Cave says, "where you forget who you are and become someone else." As much as any documentary can, 20,000 Days on Earth allows us to bear witness to what goes on in that process. Go to Full Review
Tal Rosenberg Chicago Reader 01/05/2015
The title refers to the fact that the day chronicled is ostensibly Cave's 20,000th alive, though the movie is so slowly paced that 20,000 days seems more like the running time. Go to Full Review
Liz Braun Toronto Sun 01/05/2015
4/5
Near the end of the movie, Cave talks about living in the 'shimmering space' where imagination and reality intersect. He's talking about words and music, but he could be talking about 20,000 Days on Earth. Go to Full Review
Alex Denney NME (New Musical Express) 04/22/2021
4.5/5
A gripping portrait of Nick Cave that simultaneously mythologises and debunks its subject matter... Go to Full Review
Jeremy Polacek Hyperallergic 02/01/2020
The performances and behind-the-scenes practices are rocking and revealing. Conversations are generous and surprising; Cave's monologuing inspiring, a celebration of a creativity and action. Go to Full Review
David Harris Spectrum Culture 11/27/2019
3.8/5
20,000 Days on Earth is best in the moments where we see Cave interact with others. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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steve c 01/08/2023 Advice: If you don't know who this guy is, like me, don't watch. See more 04/05/2021 Perhaps i am wrong, but i think the magic of this movie (and there IS magic) lies in the fact that it shows us the more personal and existential perspective of an extraordinary life, something most of us will never have, and takes us along in Nick Cave's process of coming to terms with what he did with it, and in the process guiding us through the creative process of how he deals with not just music but life itself. See more 07/17/2019 I'm not a fan of Nick Cave's borderline pretentious song-writing and rather monotonous music: he's the bastard love-child of Mick Jagger and Tom Waits. But within this overlong day-in-the-life tone poem there are interesting flashes of a less pompous philosopher wrestling with subjects as various as English weather, family and performance. Brief cameos from Ray Winstone, Warren Ellis and Kylie Minogue. See more nefasto r @Nefasto 01/04/2018 Nick, can do what he wants. See more 12/21/2016 A unique take at a new way to make a documentary. See more 10/08/2016 Que sujeto tan agradable es el Señor Cave. See more Read all reviews
20,000 Days on Earth

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Movie Info

Synopsis A therapist's questions and a visit to a voluminous archive propel a dramatization of a day in the life of musician and cultural icon Nick Cave.
Director
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
Producer
James Wilson, Dan Bowen
Screenwriter
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
Distributor
Drafthouse Films
Production Co
British Film Institute, Film4
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 19, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$277.8K
Runtime
1h 37m
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