As Spinal Tap’s David St Hubbins once argued, it is possible to have too much perspective; but perhaps there isn’t quite enough perspective in this documentary about the iconic rock star and songwriter Pete Doherty (who in the title goes by the more mature “Peter”), former frontman of the Libertines and Babyshambles. The film is directed by Doherty’s wife Katia DeVidas, although the actual story of their relationship or any of Doherty’s previous relationships does not feature here; of course, it could be that Doherty and DeVidas understandably reject the tabloid prurience associated with that whole subject. The film also passes in silence over the tragic case of Mark Blanco, who in 2006 died after falling from the balcony of an east London flat having been present at a party also attended by Doherty.
But there are some brutally explicit scenes of Doherty’s drug abuse, as well as some rather telling sequences showing the chaos in which Doherty lives, which appears to be a corollary of his whole creative process. Drugs, and the business of unsuccessfully getting off drugs, is the running theme of this film: it includes visits to rehab centres and the gruesome business of surgically applying implants that will restrict his body’s reaction to narcotics. We also get to see a not-so-subtly horrible “auction” of Doherty’s artworks, guitars and other personal effects to fund his rehabilitation; all the buyers clearly calculating that Doherty is going to make the ultimate career move which will turn their purchases into valuable investments. Somehow, Doherty gets through it – and the glimpses of Amy Winehouse underline how very close he really has been to death.
The fly-on-the-wall camera has had privileged, intimate access, there’s no doubt about it. But it still always looks like a film which is happy to go so far and no further. Perhaps some more detailed, critical analysis of the music itself would also have been welcome. It certainly gives a real sense of the strange, torpid mess in which Doherty has lived for so long, and the scene where his parents join him on stage is very touching.
• Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin is released on 9 November in UK cinemas, and on 16 November in Australia.
