First Take: Alfie Boe: On the Wheels of a Dream

This review was conducted as part of the 3rd Manchester Film Festival.

SYPNOSIS- Alfie Boe is a staggering musical talent and a world-famous tenor. In Alfie Boe: On the Wheels of a Dream, Mr. Boe pursues his passion - to use his amazing voice to crossover into the world of rock-n-roll.

Making a documentary about a man described as ‘The People’s Tenor’ was always going to be a difficult task- but after filming for just over 2 and a half years, Lisa Edwards has managed to tell the story of his rise to fame in just 56 minutes- and as a fan of Boe’s work, the documentary left me feeling satisfied.

During this documentary we see Boe on his 2012/2013 tour of the US- a very pivotal time in his life after becoming known for his ability to change genres in an instant, and he is open and honest throughout, as he talks about his upbringing, his fear at failing over in the USA, and most importantly his love of the music he performs every night. Edwards has every base covered, with interviews with his management team, his fans, his family and his band members being the main driving force behind the documentary. It is shot brilliantly, paced with ease and delivers enough insights into Boe’s world that the hour flew by very quickly. It is paced well, and it is shot brilliantly enough that you actually feel like you are on the road with Boe and his band.

However, my one main criticism of the documentary is the clear lack of focus, especially towards the end- this is no fault of Edwards at all, if anything she handles it well, but with Boe’s situation changing as a result of new management and most importantly a return to Broadway, there was no conventional ‘happy’ ending, which could potentially put some viewers off, but regardless of this minor gripe, this is a solid piece of work that I can easily see making its way onto TV- at a tight 56 minutes, don’t be surprised if specialised TV broadcasters like Sky Arts pick this up for transmission.

THE VERDICT

On the Wheels of a Dream is a very nice little documentary, and even if it isn’t the ending I would have liked to have seen, there are some obvious comparisons to films like Searching for Sugar Man- and comparisons like that are very good.

RATING: 4/5

And for good measure, here’s the trailer for the documentary.

This film had its world premiere at the Manchester Film Festival- for more information on this year’s selection, pop over to maniff.com.