TIFF 2024 'Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe' shows the full life behind one of the world's most beautiful voices
"I think he felt he wanted to finally do something that really represented him," director Cosima Spender said
Andrea Bocelli's voice has moved people around the world for 30 years, known as one of the greatest singers of all time. Through filmmaker Cosima Spender's documentary Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe, we get a particularly intimate look at Bocelli's life, far beyond his story of losing his sight or his vast repertoire of music.
Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), really allows us to understand Bocelli as not just a singer, but a father, a friend, a husband, and even someone who loves riding horses. That's all thanks to Spender's commitment to observational filmmaking.
"I really wanted to give a sense of what lies behind the stage and what makes him feel good with himself, ... what is the world that he inhabits, and that world is very much rooted in the family and the childhood friends he is so loyal to," Spender told Yahoo Canada in Toronto. "This is a man who could have really kind of shed all the childhood friends from rural Tuscany, but no, those are the people he really feels himself with, those are the people who made it possible for him to navigate success, and to remain rooted and strong."
Spender shared that while Bocelli and his team were looking for an Italian-speaking director to make this documentary, they also shared a connection through their Tuscan roots.
"The reason why they loved working with me, I'm very thrilled, is because I grew up very near, about a couple of hours [away], where they speak with exactly the same accent," Spender said. "There's something about a Tuscan culture that I can share and I wanted to celebrate that, possibly because it resonates with me as well."
A highlight in the documentary is watching Bocelli with his daughter Virginia, including seeing how they both work to overcome stage fright, with a little help from techniques learned from Maestro Pavarotti.
"It was so beautiful to have had him explain his stage fright ... and how he overcame by learning techniques from Pavarotti," Spender highlighted. "Then, in a kind of serendipitous way, his own daughter was going through stage fright."
"But then she overcomes it, she goes on stage and she sings like a dream. ... I feel we got a little magic moment of observational filming, and it's quite rare to be able to capture that."
'I hope people come out feeling encouraged and positive about life'
While some may assume that the bulk of the documentary would be about Bocelli being blind, how it happened and the impacts on his life, it's actually something he initially didn't want to talk about in detail, but rather, he opened up about it later in the filmmaking process.
Bocelli was born with congenital glaucoma and lost his sight completely at the age of 12, following a accident while playing soccer.
"I was told by everyone, the producers, you're not going to even talk about that," Spender shared.
"But by the end of it he did share and he did tell the story about the accident, but it came at the end of the process. Because I understand that he doesn't want to be perceived as a non-sighted person. He wants to be seen as a musician who inhabits this incredibly rich world of sound and music. I paid a lot of attention to the soundscape of the film too, because I promised him that he was going to enjoy [hearing the film]."
While Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe was meant to be a sort of celebration of a 30-year career, this film is also something that really shows how this beloved singer truly lives his life.
"I think he felt he wanted to finally do something that really represented him, because there's been a lot of things about him, and there will be more things about him, and often it's the front the postcard side of him," Spender said. "He felt he wanted to do something that really showed who he is, what his values are, and who he cares about and what his loves are, and the way he lives his life."
"I think that the message of the film is a very positive message, because he really encourages people to kind of honour their talents and make the most of what they they have. It's also hard work, of course, but you have to work to honour your talents as a person, and we all have different talents. ... I hope people come out feeling encouraged and positive about life."
