Roger Federer. David Bowie.
Inside stuff, personal, intimate, emotional. Amazing documentaries.
Federer: Twelve Final Days - Documents the final twelve days before Federer went public with his retirement. It was not originally intended for public consumption - it was supposed to be a personal remembrance.
It focuses on his wife and kids, his friends, his parents - how Federer's retirement is affecting them. It zeroes on in Federer's emotions, his introspection. And it reveals the love and respect of his peers.
Tears were shed at an astonishing rate.
These are the people who were on hand to honor Federer - Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Andy Murray, John McEnroe, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal - tennis royalty.
The last match he played was a doubles match with Nadal as his partner. Nadal was his nemesis during Federer's career but the love and respect for each other was obvious. When it was over Federer hugged McEnroe, Rod Laver, Borg, Novak Djokovic, and others - crying through it all. At one point Nadal and Federer were sitting side by side on the court - openly weeping. Even the audience was somber.
Tears tell the truth - when it comes down to love and respect, they make a life.
David Bowie - The Last Five Years - Documents the last five years of Bowie's life. Five years in which he recorded two albums - The Next Day, and Blackstar, and oversaw the production of his broadway musical - Lazarus.
Again, a deeply personal documentary. Especially as seen through the eyes of the musicians and theatre people who worked with him, who obviously revered the man.
He was dying of cancer but kept a tight lid on that. Most of the people he was working with did not know until he could no longer hide the truth. On January 10, 2016, I was pulling into the parking lot of the liquor store where I worked when Bowie's death was announced on the radio. I was devastated.
The two albums are deeply introspective. He really digs into his past, but also offers commentary on life today. The accompanying videos are mind blowing - a man obviously dealing with his unavoidable death.
Bowie is revealed in his wholeness - not just as that guy who dressed up as....................... His approach to his career was explained, what his success meant to him, and how he used his fame to say what he really wanted to say.
Love and respect. Everyone around him had that in abundance.
Two wildly different men who accomplished the same things. They achieved success at an extraordinary level, and managed to inspire deep love and respect from the people who knew them best.
People like that make other peoples' lives better.
There is no more meaningful gift to give.
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