PETER DOHERTY: STRANGER IN MY OWN SKIN

France, UK | 2023 | 93 min

It could be the same old story of rise-and-fall, sex-and-drugs-and-rock’n’roll, the swan song of rock music, haughty and furious like all last scions of dying dynasties. Instead, the point of view is a privileged one, i.e., that of filmmaker and musician Katia de Vidas, who began by filming and following Pete and then became his life partner. Thus, she managed to catch an intimate and sincere glimpse with raw realism, without all the gossip on past and present media. We get to know Pete’s own past – a father in the army – and its impact on a teenager who chose to live in a world of fantasy and reject reality. Over 200 hours of footage collected over a decade open like a diary, revealing how arrogance and fragility can actually go hand in hand in a tragically bipolar era with Doherty as its reliable messenger. And perhaps something that closely resembles a martyr. (e.s.)