'Nothing Compares' Director Praises Late Sinéad O'Connor's Courage, Laments Unfinished Album

On July 26, 2023, singer Sinéad O'Connor died at the age of 56. She was known for her 1990 song "Nothing Compares 2 U", but in the world of Paramount is also known for her song "When You Love", featured in Rugrats In Paris: The Movie. By then, her career had already taken a major turn when, on the October 3, 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Tim Robbins where she was musical guest, she exclaims "child abuse" several times and ripped a photo of Pope John Paul II, saying, "Fight the real enemy, a gesture meant to be a blunt statement on abuse in the Catholic church, abuse that is still being exposed over 30 years later. But at the time, she was subject to scorn and mockery that greatly damaged her career. In today's terms, it was a six month period of blowback that was long-term cancel culture.

Last year, Showtime acquired a documentary exploring the period of her life from 1987-1993, titled Nothing Compares, after it premiered at Sundance in January. They would premiere it in September. The public response has apparently been very positive to the film as the re-evaluation makes clear how horrifically she was treated for it. In Variety Friday, the documentary's director, Kathryn Ferguson discussed her film and how O'Connor herself, who had legally gone by Shuhada' Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018, was very supportive. She says she frequently posted about the documentary as it was being produced. Ferguson is grateful that she at least lived long enough to see it in its complete form.

The film is a deep dive into why she made her gesture how she did. To make sense of what led to it and the confusion and vitriol that came after. They went back to her trauma and roots in Ireland, where she was abused as a child. It was a very visceral, intentional, and decisive reaction to what she had learned. She knew what she felt. She chose to use her platform and her power to speak up against such evil. She was "annihilated" for essentially speaking out against such abuse. Ferguson described finding such moments in her research "horrible", She knew it still had to be an honest take on what O'Connor persevered through. The documentary gave her back her platform to let her say what she needed to for 97 minutes, instead of compiling archival interviews from Q&As and talk show appearances. It's a kind of beauty and power.

However, there was still work that O'Connor left unfinished. She was nearly done on an album with Northern Irish composer and musician David Holmes. Ferguson heard from friends who heard it that it was "astounding", She anticipates its eventual posthumous release so people can respond to fresh music of hers again. Nothing Compares is currently streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.

Source: Variety