MIFF: Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man

Daniel Allen reviews Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, a documentary on an Australian icon.

One of Australia's most notable music icons, known for his energetic live performances and rock n roll lifestyle, has let the cameras into his private past. The documentary, named after one of Barnesy's most famous singles, follows the main themes of Barnes's 2017 memoirs that dive into the childhood trauma that would be a leading factor in his substance abuse issues later in life, and how the Cold Chisel frontman dealt with his grief and trauma.

Barnes opens up about his troubles with alcohol and success in his new documentary. (Image: MIFF)

Directed and produced by Andrew Farrell, Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man takes us back to Cold Chisel's first gigs in Adelaide. We follow the band's success through history, with archive footage of Live recordings,  interviews, music videos, and vox pops from diehard fans setting the scene for Barnes's highs and eventual lows.  Learning the inspiration for the album cover to 'East', Cold Chisel's third album, was based on the French Revolutionary figure 'Jean-Paul Marat', was definitely unexpected, but an interesting look into the sense of humour the band had during their success.  

I was pleasantly surprised by the film's shift towards the humorous aspects of the interviews with the Barnes family recounting the success of Cold Chisel and Barnes's solo career.  Stories of drunken antics, controversial award show appearances, and a lack of success in touring outside of Australia with Cold Chisel are definitely high points of the film, thanks to the high-quality footage being used and edited to highlight Barnes at the height of his fame.

(Image: Daniel Allen)

Farrell uses more recent performances of classic songs such as 'Khe Sahn', 'Flame Trees', 'Working Class Man' and many others in intimate emotional versions throughout the film, with more focus on the emotional aspects of the lyrics given the context of Barnes's journey as a musician. The audience in my opening night screening erupted in applause, seeing that he still has that leading man quality and powerful voice, still able to bring so much passion to the beloved songs. It was great to see the connection people still have with these songs, which definitely added to the emotional journey the film takes you on.  

Performances of classic songs throughout the film in acoustic variations. (Image: MIFF) 

There was a noticeable lack of interviews with former band members or those outside of the Barnes family. The film's focus on the strong family connection is understandable, yet I still feel more voices would have added more nuance and colour to the narrative and overall story. 

The second half of the film also had some pacing issues, with the early 2000s period being less in-depth to the previous period in his career, with far less impactful visual storytelling; mainly due to less archive footage. It was clear that the creative direction for the story was controlled by the Barnes family, with the film's conclusion almost entirely focused on the family in the current day. 

The most interesting narrative in Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man was Barnes's own conflict with being successful yet not feeling worthy of his success. However, this dichotomy in Barnes's character was somewhat underutilised. Had Farrell probed this corner of Barnes's mind more, we might have witnessed a deeper part of Barnes's trauma, which was entirely the theme of the documentary. The focus seemed to be more on Barnes's future, rather than his past, and where the singer might go next. If you want to learn more about one of Australia's rock'n'roll legends, Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man will give you a lot of the answers, but maybe not all. Farrell's documentary will be screening next in Western Australia for Cinefest Oz in early September, and Barnes has also announced a new national tour starting in November.