THE QUIET ONE (2019)
I've been a fan of The Rolling Stones music my whole life; I didn't know much about bass guitarist Bill Wyman until now.
Rather than being a documentary filled with close-ups of talking heads and jammed with concert footage, this is a beautiful life journey about Bill with his own words. I'm touched by the humility and groundedness he retained in a life that began roughly in war torn London, wandering through rubble from the blitz in WWII. He was raised by a grandmother that he revered. Born William Perks, Jr., he was so at odd with his non-supportive father, he shucked his last name and took the surname Wyman from a man he admired in the service.
This film somehow reminds me of oragami; it unfolds to reveal a 3D image. Bill sits in a room surrounded by his stuff, an astounding archive, a capsule of his life. He had a computer before anyone else, he took tons of photos of his life, including his thirty-one years with The Stones. His memories, things he meticulously collected his whole to life to record, catalogue, and remember fill his home attic. He kept a journal since he was a kid. In this movie we get to see snippets of the memorabilia; I would love to be able to wander through this Bill Wyman museum.
A founding member of the greatest rock and roll band of all time, Wyman had an anti-drug stance. In the press he got coverage for having a reputation with women, but this film wasn't about that, and I didn't need it to be. Here, layers of the onion are peeled back, and the reveal is lovely.
There are moments in this film, such as when Bill describes his meeting with Ray Charles with such tenderness, respect, and awe, I was moved to tears. I recommend this film to anyone, even if you're not a fan of the music. It's a great character study of a man well worth getting to know.