I should be upfront that I was in tears at least a dozen times during this beautiful, wrenching, affirming, and joyous documentary by one of my favorite musicians and writers, Leonard Cohen.

I can’t claim to be objective or detached about him; this is the story of his life, and the story of one of the world’s most famous and beloved songs, Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” is riveting, emotional, and brilliantly directed and produced.

The documentary was an emotional experience for me on many levels, from courage and determination to creative genius to aging with grace. I recommend it highly.

It was one of the best studies of creativity, particularly the impact of spirituality on creativity, that I have seen.

Cohen’s epic story is a powerful and deeply touching tale; it explores the time the head of Columbia records Hallelujah refuses to release any Cohen album with the song.

Cohen declined to remove it and took it to an an unknown music publisher in New Jersey; the song was not heard from for some time. The album was a failure. Cohen, who suffered from depression almost all of his life, was forgotten.

One by one, some of the most gifted artists in music – Jeff Buckley (the song didn’t catch on until Buckley’s tragic death in 1997)- Bob Dylan, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, and Regine Spektor.

Cohen’s career was already at a low point when he wrote Hallelujah In 1984. The movie centers on this lovely song’s long and arduous journey and its impact on Cohen’s life.

Dylan was one of the first musicians to see the song’s brilliance, which mingled sex, religion, and spirituality in a memorable and haunting way. He sang his version of the song in several performances in 1988.

But it was Buckley’s sudden drowning death – he closed every performance with Hallelujah and made it his own –  that catapulted the song to turn it into a legend all over the world.

Cohen was crushed by the decline in his career and the song’s rejection by his record producer. He had worked on it for years.

Cohen left LA and moved into a severe Buddhist monastery in the California hills. He prayed and worked in the sanctuary for six years before returning home.

Soon after, he found that his assistant had stolen all his money, and he decided he had to tour again, using his now famous song as a focal point.

He traveled worldwide for six years into his 70s and drew enormous crowds everywhere. He sang Hallelujah at every performance and published three more albums. He died on November 7, 2016, a day after his last album was released.

Leonard is my favorite musician and a brilliant writer, and like everyone else, I love this song. It affects me every time I hear it; it is a song about the joys and sadness of life.

The documentary was beautiful, as was singer Judy Collins explaining why she gave Cohen a start in his career at New York City’s Town Hall when he struggled to launch his career. She followed his career, and it was nice to see her accounts of his life.

Leonard was born in the Jewish faith and flirted with Jewish mysticism all his life. His song was beautifully written and had a spiritual dimension, as did the work of great musical artists like Bono, Dylan, and Collins herself.

Everything about this documentary was beautiful and brilliantly organized. It was well edited and narrated.

It moved like a rocket, lifted me up, knocked me down, inspired me, and haunted me. It caught me from the opening scene, and I could hardly believe it was two hours long; it went so fast.

The movie was directed by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine; they could not have done a better job.

Leonard’s life is one of the most compelling and mysterious in modern creative history; I couldn’t recommend the movie more highly.

Leonard was a thoughtful and gentle soul; as he approached 80, he wrote music, made albums, and danced off the stage worldwide.

Tonight, I’m inviting Maria to join me for an hour or two of music by Leonard Cohen in our living room. His is the music I most often listen to when I sleep at night.

We’ll drink some wine and toast one of my lifetime’s most gifted and genuine musical artists.