Once I Was: The Tim Buckley Story tells the bittersweet and haunting tale of Tim Buckley, the mercurial folk-rock icon who defied the boundaries of genre, love, and life itself. Rising from a troubled childhood to the 1960s music scene, Tim’s journey is a blend of poetic highs and desperate lows, as he battles his demons, experiences heartbreak, and ultimately becomes a legend lost too soon.
Through a visually rich, time-traveling narrative, we follow Tim’s struggle to balance the art he loved with the life he found hard to live. With surreal scenes that flow like one of his own haunting tracks, the film explores his relationships—especially with his son, Jeff, another brilliant musician haunted by Tim’s absence. Once I Was takes the audience from the gritty coffeehouse beginnings to studio experiments that defined his career and captures the deep yearning and complex beauty of his life and music.
Set against a soundtrack of his greatest songs, interwoven with electrifying performances, the film will not only celebrate the music but delve deep into the fragile heart and spirit behind it. It’s an exploration of a man who was always out of reach—of the world, of his fans, of himself.
