Heaven Adores You, the Kickstarter-funded Elliott Smith documentary, has yet to get a wide release, but early buzz has been positive. As we’ve noted before, the documentary is the first of its kind to be allowed to use Smith’s music, and many of the late singer’s family members and collaborators contributed to its production. Now, thanks to AFI Docs, we have the first four minutes of the film, which focus on Smith’s 1998 Oscar nomination for “Miss Misery,” the Good Will Hunting song that thrust his indie career and melancholy songwriting into the limelight.
Smith’s response to that burgeoning fame was more than a little ambivalent—the singer was never comfortable with stardom, and dealt with severe anxiety both on and off the stage. Heaven Adores You will hopefully shed some light on that inner turmoil; it will also feature around 20 of Smith’s previously unheard and unreleased tracks.
Update, June 17, 2014: This post has been updated to include the source of the video, AFI Docs.
Previously
The Painful Life History Hiding in Elliott Smith’s Masterpiece
