Nothing Compares, the documentary that spoke about Sinéad O'Connor's forced exile

At the age of 56, the Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor passed away. Since 2018, after converting to Islam, she changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat. Having risen to fame in the 1990s, it was known that her career and personal life were marked by scandals, controversies, and personal tragedies that affected her physical and mental health.

Last year, the director and writer Kathryn Ferguson premiered her first feature-length documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, dedicated to the singer and her forced exile.

The film is titled "Nothing Compares," referring to her signature song that catapulted her to worldwide fame, "Nothing Compares 2 U," released on January 8, 1990, 33 years ago. The documentary, which made the shortlist at this year's Oscars, explores O'Connor's career journey, from her beginnings and rise to her downfall, following her decision to use her growing popularity as a platform to address serious and controversial issues, which didn't align with the norms of pop culture. She defied the music industry's conventions (her shaved head being part of it) and what was perceived as an unforgivable offense to the Catholic community, leading to near-unanimous rejection, even from the media, and altering her destiny forever.

The singer went from stardom to worldwide condemnation. With the documentary, Ferguson managed to get Sinéad to open up about her childhood and the abuse she suffered, expressing how betrayed she felt by her own community and the church, and how much music meant to her as a therapeutic tool.

Kathryn Ferguson, after a decade of directing and writing short films, made her debut with this documentary, aiming to reflect on the impact of this artist ahead of her time, the scope of her forced exile, and the consequences a person faces due to their actions. "Nothing Compares" delves into the life and legacy of the singer-songwriter, focusing particularly on her early years as a teenager until 1993 when O'Connor abandoned a tour, and rumors of a suicide attempt circulated, which she later denied.

Her career was filled with strong controversies, starting with the memorable moment when she appeared on the popular live show "Saturday Night Live," where she tore up a photo of the revered Pope John Paul II in protest against the hundreds of cases of child abuse by priests. It was the year 1992, a time when she was already at the peak of her career, at 26 years old.

This defiant and unexpected act sparked the disapproval of the media and even her fellow colleagues. Things escalated for her, as criticism turned into condemnation, ridicule, and booing at her subsequent performances, causing a setback in her promising career. The magnitude of her public and symbolic condemnation of the Catholic Church forced her to apologize to the Pope, although she stood by her actions, asserting that she would do it again if necessary, as she herself had been a victim of abuse in her childhood.

The singer was married four times and often left her fans bewildered by talking about suicide. For some years, it was known that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Among other controversies that shook her life and the music industry was her accusation against Prince, the same artist whose song inspired the movie, of being an abuser. The artist had four children: Roisin Waters, Yeshua Bonadio, Jake Reynolds, and Shane Lunny, who died by suicide last year at the age of 17. All these difficulties led Sinéad into the world of drugs, and she went through rehabilitation centers multiple times.

Ferguson's treatment of this story is based on the respect, knowledge, and admiration she felt for the artist. It was thanks to her father that she became a fan of Sinéad when she was young, to the point that she sought out her managers to create a short film, which they liked so much that they later offered her the opportunity to direct the music video for "4th and Vine," the first of its kind for O'Connor in 15 years. Working together allowed Ferguson to plant the seed for this documentary, where she sought to give the singer a chance to tell her own story from a contemporary perspective.

What makes "Nothing Compares" intriguing is the opportunity it offers to see this artist's rising career and unique personality from a retrospective perspective. She was an icon of pop culture who crumbled and was practically exiled, a woman demonized for her character and direct stances, as her brusque and unusual methods of expressing herself were unforgiven. She was a controversial and misunderstood artist.

In these times of identity reclamation and recognition of spaces for women, her story can be seen in a different light. "Nothing Compares" encourages feminist reflection from a fresh angle.

The film premiered in 2022, but it was produced in 2018, a time when the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum following the accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein, and Ireland was discussing the referendum on same-sex marriage and abortion. These paradigm shifts enrich the documentary and help understand its purpose of exonerating her actions and remembering the sweet-voiced artist that my generation still holds dear in our hearts.

Ferguson revealed that the research process for the film was extensive, with a wealth of unused archival material. However, she realized that her priority was to give a voice to someone who had been denied it, using a compilation of off-camera interviews.

O'Connor's signature song became a global hit and reached the top of the Billboard charts. The song was actually a cover of a track written and composed by Prince for his debut album, "The Family" (also the name of his band), released in 1985 but only brought to light in 2018 when Warner Bros. Records included it as part of the late legendary singer's legacy.

"Nothing Compares" received awards for Best Feature Documentary and Best Debut Director - Feature Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Sinéad has rested.

Part of this review was published by Sandra Ríos in the newspaper El Nuevo Siglo on January 5, 2023.

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