“Nico, 1988”: Last Years of Fame

Release Date：Aug/1/2018
Genre：Biography/Drama/Music
Director：Susanna Nicchiarelli
Cast：Trine Dyrholm、Anamaria Marinca、Sandor Funtek、John Gordon Sinclair

Viola's Rating：8.0





If you’re into Art rock, proto-punk or psychedelic rock, you probably know The Velvet Underground, or at least you’ll recognize their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, which cover is recognizable for featuring an Andy Warhol, the pop art leading figure, print of a banana. The album brought fame to both Nico and The Velvet Underground, but what happens after that? The English-language Italian-Belgian feature film “Nico, 1988”, which was released on Aug 1, 2018, demonstrates the last few years of Nico’s life before her tragic, rather untimely death due to a heart attack and the misdiagnosis following after that.

Based on singer Nico’s true experience and story, this dramatic, musical biographical film depicts the last years of Nico's life, as she tours and handles with her addiction to heroin and her personal demons.

With Director Susanna Nicchiarelli interviewing Nico’s son, Ari, and having him read the first draft and the final script, maybe “Nico, 1988” is similar to “Bohemian Rhapsody” that the addiction and racism side of Nico aren’t displayed very much, but there’s no intention to wipe that out either. Many times in the flick, moviegoers can see Nico’s need for heroin and her angry when not getting it. Also, there are some dialogues suggesting that even if she’s not a racist, this kind of issue is more sensitive to her than to others.

Interestingly, “Nico, 1988” was shot in a square format, and an ambience of documentary is provided throughout the motion picture. According to Director Nicchiarelli, during the time when Nico was most famous, VHS was the main source people got video resource from, and they indeed included some real footages that clearly having the movie in a square format would be the best way to combine everything together without ruining the atmosphere as a whole, even Andy Warhol at the time can be spotted.

Since Nico’s death was as legendary as her life and success, and “Nico, 1988” is about the story few years before that, it has to be mentioned more or less. The feature film utilized a bookend of her getting out a resort cabin where she and her son stayed during their vacation. Without sadness, but into sunlight the character goes, “Nico, 1988” wants the audience to remember the best part of Nico, and doesn’t give much explanation to all the incidents happened in the film. Indeed a neutral narration while interpreting one’s life.

“Nico, 1988” isn’t a long flick, and it gives moviegoers neither happy nor sad feelings, but merely tells a story as if to friends. While enjoying some rock music, we get to see how this once glamorous actress/model/singer lives her life when all the fame has gone, and to truly know her as an artist and a mom.

Picture Credit: IMDb