Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song
Cert: 12 A | ★★★★✩

Never has a song had as many reincarnations as Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

First released by the late acclaimed Jewish Canadian singer-songwriter in the obscure album Various Positions the song took on a life of itself when it was rehashed and recorded by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, who gave Cohen’s mournful tune and sombre lyrics a boost with his slightly more accessible version.

The song found an even greater audience when performed by Jeff Buckley whom many mistakenly believe to be the original writer of the song.

Now sung at weddings, funerals and everything else in between, Hallelujah has also become a go to for any aspiring music TV competition contestant.

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Jeff Buckley

In a new documentary entitled Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, directors Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine present a comprehensive look at the story of the song and what it represented for Cohen and all those who sang it after him.

With a vast array of talking heads featuring Cohen’s friends and collaborator, including the singer’s own rabbi and confidant, Rabbi Mordecai Finley, the film reveals the spiritual meaning behind Cohen’s writing and what the song really meant to him as a Jew.

There is an argument that Cohen’s intended spiritual Judaic context has often been lost as the song took on a wider spiritual meaning and was adopted by Christian culture. Despite the song’s many interpretations, one constant has always been a mixture of spirituality and sexual awakening.

While there isn’t much here that fans won’t know, the film still makes for a riveting watch. As for those who are less familiar with the song or its original writer, this might prove to be a genuine eye-opener.