The definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn “Hallelujah.” This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands — the songwriter and his times; the song’s dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom “Hallelujah” has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews. Featuring Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Glen Hansard, Sharon Robinson, Rufus Wainwright and many others, and inspired by the book The Holy of the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah.
“A densely detailed biography of the Canadian poet, singer and songwriter that was directed by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, this majestic, almost symphonic documentary is also a chronicle of the singular song Cohen wrote.” —Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal “Does the film explain “Hallelujah?” Of course not — the song stubbornly resists explanation, because it’s so many different things and because there’s a beautiful mystery at its heart. HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG is smart enough to embrace that mystery and that beauty, and to know that there’s far more to Cohen than can be summed up in four, or seven, or even 150 verses.” —Steve Pond, The Wrap
