This Much I Know to Be True

While the digital age has changed the way that most musicians create music, for Nick Cave—making music is an artform itself. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the documentary This Much I Know to Be True delves into the creative minds of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis during the recording of albums Ghosteen and Carnage in London and Brighton in 2021. While their processes are different, both Cave and Ellis manage to come together and create beautiful music…and prove that while the technology may help, there is nothing better than the method of old-fashioned recording.  

Deciding to record his music in a large open space with great acoustics, Nick Cave has chosen a venue to lay down the tracks for albums Ghosteen and Carnage in a place as eccentric as himself. Accompanied by creative partner Warren Ellis and a bevvy of talented musicians, This Much I Know to Be True follows Cave behind the scenes through his recording process as he creates an almost cinematic experience. Utilizing stage lights for music direction and that iconic Nick Cave sound, the documentary showcases how opposites Cave and Ellis approach the project ahead and create a perfectly blended sound in the final product.  

Andrew Dominik captures the personality and eccentricity of Nick Cave so perfectly in the film. When you initially think of an artist such as Cave, you don’t necessarily picture a crisp suit juxtaposed with a man who sculpts figurines and answers questions from fans to help himself be a better person. But Cave is just that: a gentleman, an artist and a kind soul searching for meaning in his life. And his lyrics for the albums featured capture that journey appropriately….a man who continues to find meaning and travel down his own path.  

And when you compare Cave’s more organized style with that of Ellis, you can see how they work well together. Where Cave is polished, Ellis is showing you his apartment with cracked, falling pieces of ceiling and a computer full of desktop files that made my heart palpitate at the number of folders on it. There is no sense of form or order, but Ellis still creates his parts and fills in the blanks to the music – two different types of creative methods that bring forth moody, profound lyrics and haunting melodies….a Nick Cave standard. Even when Marianne Faithfull comes to provide vocals for a song, her energy becomes a part of the already-electric vibe in the room.  

In one of the later scenes as Nick Cave is towards the end of recording Carnage, he begins to reminisce about his career. While many would believe that their career is what defines them, Cave sees it quite different. He is a husband, a father, a friend and a citizen that makes stuff….not the other way around. His creative nature hinges more on who he is as a person rather than the opposite, finding meaning and just making great music to take us all along for his ride. 

This Much I Know to Be True will be available in theaters May 11th.