With “I am Tim” The Swedish director and music journalist Henrik Burman takes a moving view of Tim Bergling’s life, better known as Avicii. In our video interview, he talks about the creation of the film, the emotional cooperation with family and friend: inside as well as the challenges that the music industry brought with it.
The far greater story
Originally, only a one-hour TV documentary about Avicii’s last album was planned, but during the intensive research, Burman realized that there was a much greater story behind the music. “We worked on this film for five years. Not continuously, but the story was always in my head, ”he says. The pandemic gave him unexpectedly time for deep research – a phase that was crucial for the authenticity of the film about Tim Bergling.
For Burman, the exchange with Avicii of his family and close friends was particularly emotional. “I really wanted to understand Tim and therefore had long conversations with the people who knew him best,” he reports. Avicii’s parents have their say in the documentary, as well as long -term companions such as his former manager Ash Pournouri. Her memories not only reveal Avicii his musical ingenuity, but also the internal struggles of the artist, these fights are a large part of his history and life, today there are Tim Bergling Foundation that works for mental health.
A moving moment for Burman was the private demonstration of the film for the closest friends of Avicii – before the official publication. “I left her alone in the room to give them this moment,” he says. When they saw the film, the atmosphere was full of emotions. “They said it felt like they had met Tim again. That was a confirmation for me that we did justice to him. ”The Rolling Stone was able to conduct an interview with him shortly before his death. Avicii in the 2017 Rolling-Stone interview and with him about the dangers of celebration why he identifies himself with the Beatles and talking much more.
The film also illuminates the dark side of the music business. A key moment is Avicii his appearance at the Ultra Music Festival 2013, in which he presented new, cross -genre songs – and was initially booed by the audience. “He presented his heart, his soul – and people didn’t understand it,” says Burman. But only a week later the album became True A world success. “He was a visionary who wrote music history.”
With I am Tim Henrik Burman succeeds in a deep, sensitive documentation that Avicii shows not only as a celebrated artist, but also as humans – with all his ups and fights. A film that touches, shakes up and keeps Tim Bergling’s legacy in a unique way.