Nothing Compares, a new documentary directed by Kathryn Ferguson which screened at the 48th Seattle International Film Festival, makes a compelling case for why it’s high time singer Sinead O’Connor’s similarly tattered reputation got a second look.
Her crime, it lays out, was simply being an outspoken artist of deep conviction, ahead of her time — and for that she paid dearly.
That O’Connor wouldn’t and couldn’t conform put her on an inevitable crash course with both the entertainment industry and a culture that simply wasn’t ready for the truths she would unleash.Right from the outset of the film, O’Connor makes it clear via voiceover that she never set out to be a pop star. “There was no therapy when I was growing up, so that's the reason I got into music.
It was therapy. This is why it was such a shock to become a pop star. It was not what I wanted. I just wanted to scream,” she says.