AVICII: True Stories, Proudly Presents an Olle Knutsen Hjertén Film, Edited by Oscar Blondell (2017) (Documentary)

Avicii: True Stories

Avicii: True Stories is Tim Bergling’s Own Dtory, Told from the Inside and Made from his Extensive Personal and Family Archive and behind-the-Scenes Footage. The Director, Levan Tsikurishvili, followed Bergling for over Four Years while Capturing Footage of his Experiences and Thinking. ^[2] Tsikurishvili Documented All Stages of his Career, including his Decision to Quit Touring in 2016. ^[3]

Cast

• Tim Bergling
• David Guetta
• Wyclef Jean
• Nile Rodgers
• Chris Martin
• Tiesto
• Laidback Luke

Alex Ebert, Aloe Blacc, Carl Falk, Fredrik Boberg, Johan Bjerkelund, Sandro Cavazza, Salem Al Fakir, Per Dickson, and Michael Einziger Also Made Appearances in the Documentary. ^[4]

Soundtrack

• Robyn “Hang with Me” (Avicii Remix)
• Avicii “Levels“
• Armin van Buuren “Drowning” (Avicii Remix)
• Rick Ross “Hustlin‘“
• Avicii “Wake Me Up“
• Coldplay “A Sky Full of Stars“
• Avicii “Sunset Jesus“
• Avicii Featuring Sandro Cavazza – “Lord”
• Avicii feat. Sandro Cavazza  “Without You“
• Avicii – “Ten More Days”
• Avicii – “Feeling Good”

Production

The documentary featured Sppearances by colleagues such as Chris Martin, Nile Rodgers, David Guetta and Wyclef Jean.^[5] Some parts were filmed in Madagascar and Australia.^[1]

Director Levan Tsikurishvili Quoted on his Documentary

“The documentary gives a very close explanation of how he felt. I’m happy and thankful that we were able to put so many of his years on film, to show others how he really was. As a collaborator, and a film-maker, that’s what I can do for him. I wanted to do a brutally honest film about Tim as a person and not only about Avicii. Everybody knows Avicii but very few people know Tim. I think this documentary really shows Tim’s struggle and strength of character. Being a worldwide superstar artist is not as easy as it looks on Instagram.”
Levan Tsikurishvili, Director [6]

Release

Avicii: True Stories had a limited theatrical release on 26 October 2017. The documentary was released worldwide on Netflix on 28 December 2018, eight months after Bergling committed suicide while on holiday in Muscat, Oman.^[7]

Reception

Box Office

The film grossed $3,878 in the worldwide box office.^[8]

Critical Response

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 83%, based on six reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. ^[9]

Joshua Speiser, writing for Film Threat, stated that the film was “well worth viewing; a portrait of an incredibly talented artist who “captured lightning in a bottle” time and again during his tragically short life.” ^[10] Frank Scheck, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said that the film “delivers a visceral portrait of the personal cost that can arise from a meteoric rise to fame.” ^[11] Ben Kenigsberg, writing for The New York Times, described the film as “A portrait of an artist who loved making music but hated the stresses of performing”, concluding: “the director, Levan Tsikurishvili, never reconciles the movie’s competing impulses. It’s part promotional video, part backstage doc and — in retrospect — part tragedy.” ^[12]

Katie Walsh, writing for the Los Angeles Times, criticized the film for not acknowledging Bergling’s death at the end, concluding that “There’s a sense of dread as the film wraps up, knowing where the real-life story ended, and it’s increasingly out of step with the rosy picture painted by Tsikurishvili. Is he compelled to update the film or leave us with an image of Bergling in his freest moment? Ultimately, it feels like only part of the story, and therefore not entirely true.”^[13]

Awards and nominations

Avicii: True Stories qualified for Oscar consideration on 1 November 2018.^[14]

References

1. Avicii: True Stories, retrieved 24 June 2019
2. “Avicii | True Stories | Official Movie Site”. aviciitruestories.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
3. Dotcom, Anto. “Council Post: Director of ‘Avicii: True Stories’ Weighs In On Four Tips To Create Better Content”. Forbes. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
4. Avicii: True Stories, retrieved 1 July 2019
5. “Avicii: True Stories – film i njegov posljednji nastup na Ibizi 2016.god”. Večernji list (in Croatian). 24 November 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
6. Fleisher, Grace (6 November 2017). “‘Avicii: True Stories’ documentary is coming to Netflix”. Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
7. “Documentary Filmed Before Avicii’s Death Is Coming to Netflix”. The Mighty. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
8. “Avicii: True Stories (2017) – Financial Information”. The Numbers. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
9. “Avicii: True Stories (2017)”. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
10. Speiser, Joshua (9 January 2019). “Avicii: True Stories”. Film Threat. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
11. Scheck, Frank (18 December 2018). “‘Avicii: True Stories’: Film Review”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
12. Kenigsberg, Ben (20 December 2018). “‘Avicii: True Stories’ Review: The Arc of Fame, Cut Short”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
13. Walsh, Katie (13 December 2018). “Reviews: The tragedy of ‘Avicii,’ Linda Thorson and Stuart Margolin enliven ‘The Second Time Around’ and other films”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
14. Powell, Karlie (1 November 2018). “Netflix Avicii Documentary ‘True Stories’ Qualifies for Oscars Consideration [Details]”. Your EDM. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
15. External links

Official Website

Avicii: True Stories at IMDb