) must’ve realized at some point they’ve got too much good stuff on their hands, not just about the song “Hallelujah” but about Cohen himself. The documentary, which is supposed to be about the song, is half-filled with Cohen’s journey from his early days growing up in Quebec through to the early Nineties, when we finally reach the Jeff Buckley section.
The song itself is a powerful one, of that there is no doubt. Depending on the version, the singer, the listener, the mood … it takes on a different meaning for each person. I lost track of how many times I heard “Hallelujah” in the film. Every one of them was amazing. When the film was near the end, I thought to myself, “I made it through without getting emotional.” Cue k.d. lang singing the song during the Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen concert from 2017.