A documentary on the life of one of the most popular musicians of the ’80s and ’90s has been nominated for several accolades even before its debut. Nothing Compares, a biopic about Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor set to air on Showtime, is gaining more and more buzz as its premiere date draws near. Showtime has announced that their newest production, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, would be released in cinemas in Los Angeles, New York, the United Kingdom, and Ireland in addition to linear broadcast and streaming. Accompanying the news of the debut comes a trailer in which O’Connor lays it all out there. Ferguson is not skipping any details in her depiction of the legendary singer’s life, from her humble beginnings to her meteoric climb to stardom and the shocking incident that rocked the nation.
With a title inspired by O’Connor’s number one hit song “Purple Rain,” written by Prince, the documentary vows to get to the bottom of what caused the star to rip a photo of Pope John Paul II after her SNL appearance. The preview indicates that O’Connor had been disillusioned with her religious upbringing after reading accounts from apostates who said they had been abused by the church’s leadership. Due to the fact that the sexual abuse issue in the church wouldn’t be revealed for several more years, this was a surprise. Those who perceived O’Connor as an adversary of the Catholic Church poured out their fury upon hearing and seeing her performance and visual statement.
O’Connor, however, would persevere in her role as an icon and voice for the oppressed and a fierce advocate for women’s rights across the world. The singer admits in the teaser that she felt obligated to utilise her celebrity status to advocate for underprivileged communities worldwide because of the powerful impact she can have. The film premiered at Sundance in the World Cinema Documentary category. Following its debut, the highly acclaimed project won many festival awards, including Best Irish Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh and the audience prize at Docs Ireland.
If you’re hoping to see the film in theatres, we have some bad news: you’ll have to be a resident of Los Angeles, New York, Ireland, or the United Kingdom. Beginning September 23, residents of New York City and Los Angeles may watch the film at Cinema Village and Laemmle Monica Film Center respectively. On October 7, it will be released in a wide variety of cinemas across the United Kingdom and Ireland. As for everyone else, the project will premiere on Showtime’s streaming service on September 30, with a linear broadcast debuting on October 2.