Björk: Biophilia Live

2014

1h 36m

Documentary

List

77%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Icelandic musician Björk performs in concert at London's Alexandra Palace in 2013.

Read More

Read Less

Critics Consensus

Walk through an enchanted forest and what do you see? Bjork:Biophilia Live, an eclectic delivery of audio technical divinity.

Read Critics Reviews

Dave G

I am a newer fan of Bjork. I remember her on MTV back in the 90's and thought she was just weird. Then something happened as I got older and I finally "got" her and have really come to appreciate what an amazing talent she is. Biophilia is not my favorite Bjork album but it's her most interesting I think. The concert shows off some of the unusual musical devices she had a hand in creating. The coolest being the gravity harps. When she sings Solstice with nothing but the gravity harps swinging back and forth playing music it is totally mesmerizing. Although not playing during Mutual Core they are swinging to get warmed up I guess. Just watching them swinging while Bjork sings is captivating. They were on display a few years back at the NYC Museum of Modern Art. Wish I could have seen them. Also, the Sharpsicord on Sacrifice is unusual but fits the song so well. It's a crazy looking thing, I can't even describe it. The Gamelest on the song Crystalline is amazing also. The tesla coil used in Thunderbolt and Declare Independence is more visual than actually fitting the songs but still neat to watch. Was probably really cool if you were there in the audience. Mutual Core is a standout as well as some of her older songs like Isobel (my favorite Bjork song). She also did older songs Possibly Maybe and Hidden place which sounded great with the Icelandic choir. Overall, great concert film if you are a Bjork Fan. Would have loved to have seen this tour live!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/29/24

Full Review

Audience Member

A visually breathtaking, sci fi musical travel. Definitely just for Bjork's most devoted fans.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Biophilia is not one of my favorite Björk albums, far from it actually, but for the fans out there who love it more than I do this concert film will certainly prove to be a special experience, a psychedelic trip in which her music is interwoven so harmonically with beautiful images.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It is true the complexity of the songs, specially since there is barely any hit song in here, it might not be that accessible to catch up with the music for some, but the cinematography is often beautifully presented; from outer space, through DNA samples, to the smallest particles of a virus, the songs make a lot of sense combined together with the graphics. It is also undeniable the outstanding performance of everyone on stage, specially Delago's virtuous percussion, and Björk's control over her gifted voice. An octopus dancing around Björk on stage, while a Tesla Coil groans is just to say something.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Peter Strickland

Director

Nick Fenton

Director

Björk

Actor

David Attenborough

Voice

Brett Turnbull

Cinematographer

Nick Fenton

Film Editing

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

92%

86%

Inni

100%

95%

American Interior

77%

69%

The First Monday in May

TRAILER

for The First Monday in May

33%

78%

Celine: Through the Eyes of the World

100%

%

The Blue Black Hussar

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Sam Davies

Sight & Sound

To adapt a very old quotation, Biophilia Live asserts that nothing human is foreign to nature.

Oct 23, 2014

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

The film-makers Peter Strickland and Nick Fenton manage to bring a sense of mystery and wonder to what was clearly more than just another gig.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 17, 2014

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

I assume that Bjrk: Biophilia Live was more thrilling in concert than on film, or else half the audience would have been asleep.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 17, 2014

Full Review

Nick Levine

NME (New Musical Express)

Björk's concert film is a remarkable document of a remarkable artist still impossible to pigeonhole...

Rated: 4/5

May 26, 2021

Full Review

Alexa Dalby

Dog and Wolf

These 97 minutes will be unlike anything you've seen before - unless you're already a hardcore Bjork fan.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2019

Full Review

Jared Mobarak

The Film Stage

Biophilia proves hugely ambitious and unfortunately unable to avoid falling apart somewhat without the complete story [of its creation].

Rated: B

Feb 27, 2016

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Icelandic musician Björk performs in concert at London's Alexandra Palace in 2013.

Director: Peter Strickland, Nick Fenton
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.3K
Runtime: 1h 36m

Most Popular at Home Now