Exploring the delicate line between the genius and vulnerability of Avicii, director Henrik Burman has opened up concerning the emotional weight of his upcoming documentary, Avicii – I am Tim.
Due out December thirty first on Netflix, the movie is ready to launch in tandem with Avicii – My Final Present, which revisits the evening he graced the stage of Ibiza’s storied Ushuaïa membership for what can be his remaining efficiency. Lower than two years later, the DJ, whose actual identify was Tim Bergling, tragically died by suicide.
Burman says the challenge started in 2019 as an idea for a TV documentary about Avicii’s remaining album, Tim. It got here with its personal distinctive set of challenges, like making an attempt to unearth contemporary footage of the late EDM icon whereas taking over a “huge amount” of analysis.
“Everyone around Tim had gone through an extremely difficult time, and of course, everyone deals with it in different ways—there were many long conversations. We in the team were determined to give this the time it needed and move forward slowly and carefully,” Burman defined in a Netflix Q&A, which the streaming service shared with EDM.com. “Then there is always the challenge of the edit itself. To allow yourself to make mistakes and redo and to seek the essence of the story in a large amount of material. To find the right tone. Making the right choices.”
Netflix
The acclaimed Swedish director’s journey into Bergling’s world was pushed by a profound curiosity—not simply concerning the common enchantment of his music, however concerning the man behind it. What started as a quest to demystify the seemingly untouchable “Avicii universe” developed into an intimate seek for the human truths that formed his artistry.
Because the threads of Bergling’s life, artistic ambitions and public persona intertwined, the filmmaker discovered each readability and complexity.
“When I started working on the film, my biggest driving force was trying to find the opposite—a closeness to Tim as a person, to search for something I heard in his music and understand where it really came from. Quite early on, I felt sparks between who he was as a person, what he was striving for artistically, and how he was perceived as an artist. That was the basis for my story… Weaving that narrative with his life story and at the same time taking a holistic approach to his entire career was a huge challenge but was also what constantly drove me forward.”
A putting heat and humor emerged, notably in Bergling’s early years, surrounded by buddies, household and the untainted pleasure of creation. This steadiness of sunshine and darkness set the tone for a nuanced portrayal, unflinchingly capturing each the struggles and the brilliance that outlined his profession.
“The first thing I noticed when I saw all the archive material was how much warmth and humor there was in and around Tim with his team, friends and family,” Burman recollects. “In particular, this was a dominant feeling in the early years before everything became more complicated and big.”
“But also towards the end of his life. I just saw a lot of passion. It was a side I hadn’t seen so clearly before and it became a good foundation to stand on to set the tone for the work; without shying away from the difficult parts and issues in Tim’s life. It was also important for me to carefully try to portray the complexity that came to dominate Tim’s life. Because even though it was extremely dark in the darkest parts, there was also a lot of light.”
Netflix
Burman says he ingested 1000’s of hours of personal archives, recordings, interviews and Avicii’s music to viscerally perceive his plight. The movie options never-before-seen archival footage from each chapter of his journey, together with childhood moments captured on household VHS tapes and candid snapshots from buddies’ telephones. By way of these fragments, he hopes “to give the viewers a greater understanding of who [Bergling] was, both as a person and an artist.”
He paints an image of a documentary that is each an intimate portrait of Bergling and a mirrored image of one thing common—the attractive, messy complexity of life, the place nothing is easy and each story is layered. It invitations followers to look past the icon of Avicii and uncover the tender, human coronary heart beneath the beats.
“A viewer said to me that ‘the film is so specifically about Tim—but at the same time is so universal.’ And I thought that was beautiful. Life is not simple, there are no easy answers, everything is complex and multi-layered. That’s what I aim to contribute to Tim’s story. I also hope that the dedicated fans will gain a fresh perspective on both Tim as a person and Avicii as an artist. It’s a documentary film that captures a life!”
Watch the official trailer for Avicii – I am Tim under.
