Co-directed by Roddy Bogawa and Hipgnosis designer Storm Thorgerson, this documentary film examines the connection between Pink Floyd and fractured founding member Syd Barrett. Barrett’s course-charting vision for the band and influence following his departure are revealed through discussions with personal associates including sister Rosemary Barrett and manager Peter Jenner as well as the band’s ongoing members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters. Peers and admirers including the Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon also weigh in. Barrett’s imagination, ingenuity, and creativity made him a groundbreaking artist and trendsetter during the psychedelic ‘60s. Destructive impulses, substance abuse, and mental illness curbed his once boundless potential, but not before he’d left an indelible mark on 20th century pop culture. Barrett’s presence and absence alike continued to haunt Pink Floyd’s material long after his departure, with material such as “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” offered as notable tributes to a fallen friend. Among 25 minutes of bonus features is a 2006 performance of signature song “Arnold Layne” by Gilmour, Mason and David Bowie. The lack of inclusion of full interviews with the band members and Bowie is perhaps a missed opportunity for additional bonus features, but Bogawa’s portrait as presented in the main film is insightful. Viewers get a sense of Barrett’s peculiar genius and the tragedy of seeing his bright spark extinguished.
