David Bowie: Five Years

David Bowie: Five Years

An intimate portrait of five key years in David Bowie’s career.

Directed by Francis Whately

Produced by BBC

201390 min7.5 / 10

An affectionate documentary portrait of Bowie's artistic reinvention across five transformative years, built on archival richness and intimate collaborator testimony.

Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.

Questions people ask

  • Is David Bowie: Five Years violent? No. Less violent than 92% of films.

  • Is David Bowie: Five Years scary? Barely. Less frightening than 84% of films.

  • Is David Bowie: Five Years easy watching? Yes. More comforting than 82% of films.

  • Does David Bowie: Five Years end with hope? Yes. More hopeful than 81% of films.

  • Is David Bowie: Five Years sad? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

56/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Familiar shape, done well.

Rarity28

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise61

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love88

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like David Bowie: Five Years

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as David Bowie: Five Years

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like David Bowie: Five Years, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like David Bowie: Five Years, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like David Bowie: Five Years, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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