Welcome To The Darkness (Blu-ray)

http://www.renaud-bray.com

http://www.renaud-bray.com

*** Résumé en anglais seulement ***This is a documentary about fame, the meaning of success, identity and relationships set against the backdrop of the career trajectory of the band The Darkness. Their rise to worldwide fame was sudden, the implosion was brutal, there were some strange wilderness years apart and the comeback has been a work in progress since 2011 which has seen multiple album releases and multiple tours across Europe, Australia/NZ and America. Our main protagonist, Justin Hawkins, the bands front man and singer, is the primary focus - without him the band doesn't exist, and it's he that has been and is the pied piper of their merry dance. Justin's personal journey is one of losing his identity in a hurry under the apprehension (misapprehension?) that he needed to embody the 'rockstar' trope from top to bottom and subsequently of a rebirth by slowly rediscovering his identity - this time through the hard work required to become sober and of writing new music and rebuilding the bands reputation. Dan Hawkins, his brother, is the engine driving Justin and their relationship and dynamic are both critical to understanding why and how Justin keeps going as well as being one of the key vehicles revealing the true Justin. Dan is known as the 'dad' of the band - the solid rock, stellar musician and possibly the most levelheaded. Frankie has been with them since the beginning and is in some ways a barometer and a shrewdly quirky analyser of their journey, something of an outsider in some ways. Rufus joined the band in 2015 and is the young, carefree new drummer perhaps reminiscent of Justin and the bands former, younger selves. He inadvertently lives the rock star life on their behalf. There is a sense that Rufus has helped Justin rediscover his identity, which was lost quite quickly when the band became successful. The story is told primarily through actuality shot with the band over a period of 5- 6 years, as well as a small amount of animation and some archive material to illustrate their early rise to fame. There are a number of guest interviewees, including Ed Sheeran, Bryan Adams, Jo Whiley and Roger Taylor. In summary, the overall structure of the film will briefly establish their early rise to fame and the implosion, but the bigger part will address their slow haul back to whatever success now means. On the rollercoaster of pitfalls, cringe-worthy moments, challenges, exhaustion, laughs, camaraderie and fun times, they are forced to examine the meaning of 'success'. In the end we'll also see how their past and present journeys have changed each of them, and what the future might look like. We'll have seen what being a rock star really means - the fantasy, the repercussions and the reality and we'll have seen the power of relationships, and perhaps have witnessed some cathartic resolutions.