NZIFF: In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon

Paul Simon is that rare popular artist who has produced vital music across seven decades. Drawing on archives and intimate new footage, this comprehensive documentary examines the creative career of a lifelong seeker.

Of all the pop stars to emerge in the 1960s, none constructed their music more meticulously than Paul Simon. What’s more, Simon has remained one of the few stars of that era who has continued to make interesting new music rather than resting on a catalogue of hits.

Director Alex Gibney illuminates Simon’s perfectionism as well as his perpetual pursuit of the unproven. We see Simon’s processes in action, as Gibney follows him through the making of his most recent, and possibly final album, Seven Psalms, and see him coming to terms with the debilitating effects of a recent and sudden hearing loss. “Maybe you’re supposed to have an obstacle to give you more insight into what you’re saying,” he wonders.

The film moves back and forth between this portrait of a mature artist and the story of how he got there. We learn about the origins of Simon’s music and how it has developed over the years, through his colossally popular but ultimately fraught partnership with Art Garfunkel, to the multicultural and controversial triumph of Graceland. And we hear a lot of his music, including some rare live performances, which serve as a reminder of the remarkable body of work he has created. — Nick Bollinger

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