31/08/2024 - VENICE 2024: Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’ frantic, fun doc is so good that it makes you forget all about Gal Gadot’s take on “Imagine”

Here comes another documentary about John Lennon, and for some reason, it feels like everyone needed it. It’s surprising, touching and hilariously funny. It makes these iconic figures feel closer. They are all human here, even the ever-mysterious Bob Dylan. Really – you can literally go through his rubbish.

That’s what one “Dylanologist”-turned-garbage stalker continues to do, and the whole tale of AJ Weberman is a perfect example of why One to One: John & Yoko, screening out of competition at Venice, is such a pleasure. Directors Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards are not in a hurry – they want to meet all of the wonderful weirdos who made New York so irresistible to Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 1970s. They have time to listen to the oddest conversations, too. There is a delightful – and absolutely mad – storyline about flies, desperately needed for an art piece. It goes on forever, with different people looking for them all over town (including May Pang, the subject of another Lennon-related doc, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story).

It was clearly an odd, chaotic life these two decided to lead in NYC for a while, and maybe that’s why they loved it so much. Lennon and Ono talk about living in a small flat in Greenwich Village, lying around in bed and watching TV all day long. What they saw on the screen pretty much dictated their every move: from defending a guy sentenced to ten years for marijuana distribution to appearing alongside troublemaker Jerry Rubin and trying to organise the One to One concert to raise money for children with special needs. Now, all these images flow here as well, a never-ending stream of elaborate commercials, dramatic news stories, Walter Cronkite saying, “Ahhhh,” and clips from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It fries your brain in the best possible way.

With his days in The Beatles finally behind him, Lennon embraces new projects. He’s doing what he deems right and comes up with the wildest ideas. It’s fascinating to watch two artists who aren’t confused or lost. They explore and they speak their minds, feeling free for the first time in years, after continuous harassment in the UK. It’s almost weird to see one of the biggest stars in the world showing up to all these politically charged events in person, talking to people, making himself available. Maybe what happened to Lennon later on changed these interactions forever. But this film isn’t about death; it’s about life and the importance of staying curious.

And, in this case, of doing it all with a partner. We take it all back: it’s not another doc about John Lennon. Yoko Ono is crucial here, and she not only gets to sing: she gets to present her side of the often-repeated story. Called an “ugly Jap”, rejected by fans and threatened, she’s getting her strength back, proudly walking around the witch city of Salem. They both are.

Then there is the concert itself, Lennon’s first since The Beatles and, frankly, a wonderful event to witness – even today. At a press screening, briefly interrupted by a fire alarm, the audience welcomed Lennon back with a round of applause. Usually, many tired journos would relish such a distraction – but not this time, and not during this film. They wanted to listen to that man again, always singing while chewing gum, and laugh at his idea of actually “freeing some people” from jail during the planned Free the People tour. A dreamer, for sure. But maybe he’s not the only one.

One to One: John & Yoko was produced by the UK’s Plan B/Km Films and Mercury Studios. Its international sales are handled by Cinetic Media.