Julien Temple’s documentary on the life and work of influential musician Joe Strummer, now available on DVD in the UK, is getting a limited theatrical release in the US after making the film festival rounds earlier this year.
The Future is Unwritten is an exhaustive portrait of the front man for revolutionary punk band The Clash. Presented in chronological order we see through home movies and photos Joe (born John Graham Mellor) as a youngster growing up with his older brother David, in a diplomatic family. Later, after the art school years when he was known as “Woody”, Joe takes fateful steps that lead him to door step of manager Bernie Rhodes and history. Now officially Joe Strummer, his politically and socially conscious lyrics brought him escalating fame and attention which in the end, he wasn’t sure he really wanted. In the years that followed the break up of the band Joe struggled to find his voice again as a solo artist. Up until his sudden death in 2002 he touched the lives of some very grateful people who were more than willing to share their stories of the man and his work.
This is a very straightforward presentation of the facts and events of Strummer’s life. The use of footage and pictures from family and friends, cartoons and artwork he created as well as Joe’s own voice as a sort of narrator gives it an intimacy that I appreciated. It was clear that during the height of the Clash’s success that Joe became very insular and unsure of who Joe Strummer was. Having eye witness accounts of that time and his reemergence years later is invaluable. Though even some of his “closest” mates seemed to have little insight into their friend and his behavior. Strummer was a bit of an enigma.
The interviews are presented as if you were sitting around a campfire, in tribute to the Strummerville campfires that would spring up at various festivals Strummer performed at or family gatherings. I could appreciate the spirit in which staging things that way was intended but when the cavalcade of Hollywood stars began to crop up on in the firelight I felt it all got a bit pretentious. I understand having John Cusak (a long-time Clash fan) and Martin Scorsese (who listened almost exclusively to the Clash while making Raging Bull) speak about their experiences with Joe and his music. But as much as I love Johnny Depp, his appearance makes me think that Temple was calling in favors to get some big names into his film. Honestly, the documentary doesn’t need it. It stands on its own quite well. And the less said about Bono the better I think.
The Future is Unwritten is a project of love for its director Julien Temple, a friend of Strummer and the many folks who participated. Because of that warmth of emotion you can over look the imperfections in the filmmaking (and the two hour length) and just appreciate the how one person can mean so much to so many and leave his indelible mark on the world.
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
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