MOVIES: Ellis Park – Review: Warren Ellis, Not Your Typical Music Documentary

Warren Ellis is a name whose music you’ll recognise even if you don’t the name. He’s worked with Nick Cave on multiple film scores from The Assassination of Jesse James to Wind River but will be more known for his role as violinist in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; legendary gothic group that are touring later in the year in London with an 02 venue as part of their new album promotion: Wild God, arguably the best of 2024. This is a production that moves aside from Nick Cave – he’s had his own documentaries (20,000 Days on Earth, One More Time With Feeling, This Much I Know to Be True), to shine the spotlight on Ellis himself and his personal upbringing, told from Justin Kurzel; responsible for the 2015 Macbeth, Nitram and The True History of the Kelly Gang. Kurzel’s direction takes Ellis back down his personal life – we get to see his mother and father and his relationship with the violin and how he learnt to play it and the reputation that he garnered as a youth for playing it – in a taught, slow, methodological documentary.

Film and Ellis have been instantly linked – the cinema is one of the great escapes for him and his father – references to Pink Floyd live in concert and Goodfellas are talked about and praised highly. His relationship with his parents is as heavily discussed as a talking point here effectively on in the film, which builds and builds towards his working with an animal rights activist – Femke den Haas, and the animal sanctuary he has founded. It’s clear that those of you who know Kurzel’s filmography will know this won’t be a typical ego-boosting documentary and thank god, we’ve had enough of those already – but instead, the slower pace aids its strength. He talks about childhood moments, the place where he opened for the Bad Seeds with his first band, the Dirty Three, and he talks about his first time playing with Nick Cave in 1994 and a friendship that has blossomed and been around for as long as both are alive. Early archive footage shows a younger Ellis in a AC/DC shirt talking about how Cave allowed him to evolve as a musician – and we see names coming out on stage as proof of their success: the meltdown 99 gig in London featuring Nina Simone cemented their stardom. The most selfless musicians spend much of their documentary talking about anybody but them and that’s what Ellis does here – the Nina Simone archive footage heralds her star power; and in doing so – it tells you more about him as an artist more than anything else.

The park that defines Ellis’ life outside of music and Femke’s influence on that park talks about her being able to find her purpose, which feels like such a gift to be given. It chronicles their first meeting: much a post-COVID infrastructure. Ellis talks about what he hasn’t been able to do because of the pandemic and four years on; it leaves a shadow over the artists’ lives. It talks about his perspective; and how that if Femke’s out there, doing what she does – he has the ability to write a bit of music for a film. Both are extraordinary people – and both deliver their all at every turn. Their love and affection of animals is evident, Femke pulls her heart and knowledge into the screen and it’s a delight watching her interactions with Ellis talking about stopping and liberating trafficked animals. It opens your knowledge to how cruel and widespread the wildlife trade can be. With this all given the backing score of Ellis’ own music – it imparts a sense of otherworldly importance.

Kurzel’s skill behind the camera allows the audience to move beyond a film that just focuses on highlighting obvious moments to the audience; and instead focuses on the here and now, and the importance of what we do and how it matters. And one day, just about everyone will have a beard as cool as Warren Ellis does.

International Premiere: ELLIS PARK – BFI London Film Festival – Saturday 19 October, 15:40 – Sunday 20 October, 17:15