I agree with the Guardian movie critic who wrote that Bowie: Moonage Daydream was “one of the best movies about any artist I’ve seen.” Me too.

I wasn’t focused much on Bowie when he was at his peak in the ’70s and ’80s; I was familiar with much of his music. I did not know the depth and range of his genius and artistry; he was an accomplished writer, singer, and painter and performed on Broadway as the lead in “The Elephant Man” to rave reviews.

He was, in many ways, the pure artist, committed, bold and brave.

Maria, an avid Bowie fan, came with me to see the movie in Williamstown. The film was a visual knockout, narrated mainly through thoughtful, honest, generous, and open interviews he gave throughout his career. He died in 2016 in New York city after contracting liver cancer.

Brett Morgan bravely decided to tell the story of Bowie’s life and music and his astonishing, provocative, and sometimes shocking performances, films, and paintings.

The movie is nearly three hours long, and I was very sorry to see it end. I call it an immersion movie; Morgan chose to surround us with Bowie’s remarkable life rather than a bunch of older adults recalling it. It felt like we were almost literally in it.

Bowie came through as a self-doubting, gentle, intelligent, and generous man. I liked him more than any musical legend apart from Leonard Cohen. In some ways, Bowie reminded me of Cohen; he was more spectacular, especially in his early days when he shocked the music world with his bisexual androgynous clothes and persona.

I could pick up Dylan and Velvet Underground elements in some of his work.

As he got older in the film, he talked beautifully about the peace, security, and confidence that come with getting older.  Aging was no tragedy for him but a golden opportunity to be the artist and the man he wished to be. I’ve read that he was also committed to doing good, and that also came through.

He came to love his life and his freedom to be himself. And he even found love and happiness in marriage and parenthood, two things he avoided for most of his life, even as he faded out of the rock star’s life.

Bowie was one of the first and most colorful and brave cross-dressers in the rock and roll world. He said he never felt comfortable showing his own face until he got older.

I’m not doing a full review of the movie because I didn’t know Bowie and his music well enough. I loved what I heard and will be listening to his albums for a while; I liked it so much that I just had to say that to the good people who follow my movie reviews.

I highly recommend this movie; it’s a beautiful film and a breakthrough way of telling the story of such a famous and complex artist. The visuals were just spectacular. I’d try to see it at a theater or when it streams.

I saw Morgan’s other documentary, a film about the life and rise and fall of Hollywood and Godfather producer Robert Evans. That one sucked; I’d avoid it at all costs. Good for Morgan for rising above himself. This movie is his redemption.