The opening scene of Nothing Compares shows Sinéad O’Connor walking onto the stage of the 30th-anniversary tribute concert for Bob Dylan. Dressed in blue she walks out on the stage and the cheers are drowned out by the boos. This concert is two weeks after the infamous Saturday Night Live performance and the crowd is livid that she is there. The irony here is that Bob Dylan wrote many songs about protesting and standing up to oppressors and she is the one being booed.
Nothing Compares is a look into the life of Sinéad O’Connor and gives us a great look into the trauma and triumphs in her life. The documentary is told through old footage of her and re-enactments with Sinéad narrating her life. We learn about her childhood and how she was abused by her mother. The stories she shares are horrifying at times and you can see how this molded her into the person she became.
Throughout the documentary we never see Sinéad. We hear her voice telling us about her life and certain events and it is not until the end that we see her. To me, this moment was powerful because after everything this woman has been through she has still been doing what she loves: Making music. The song she sings at the end is also powerful because it feels like she is thanking us for being there for her and for watching the documentary. Sinéad should be celebrated for all of the doors that she has broken down and the documentary shows us a quick montage of all the things or people who would not have been able to speak their truths if it were not for her.
Final Thoughts: It’s sad to see how Sinéad O’Connor’s career was destroyed after speaking her mind on Saturday Night Live. Growing up with an abusive mother she always spoke out on what she believed in and used that in her lyrics and performances. What Sinéad went through paved the path for many female performers of today to speak their minds too. Sinéad was ahead of her time and sadly it was too much for some people.
Kid-Friendly: There are a few topics that might go over the heads of younger children, this is a great watch for them to see how important it is to stand up for what you believe in.
Violence: The only violence in this is the treatment that Sinead gets for speaking her mind.
Directed by Kathryn Ferguson (Taking the Waters, Space to Be), NOTHING COMPARES charts Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom, before her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on O’Connor’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the film presents an authoritative, richly cinematic portrait of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.