With no shortage of cannabis and Red Stripe-fueled recording sessions, there is a carefree ease to “Bob Marley: One Love,” a film that watches like an homage to one lengthy jam session. While there is a familiarity to the way most biopics play out — linearly, with a desire (but failure) to highlight the entire complexity of Marley, and a climax that reaches a head with twenty minutes remaining — it still does a phenomenal job capturing his essence, the weight he carried, and his dedication to the craft that is reggae. This is likely due to the direction of Reinaldo Marcus Green alongside close input from Marley’s widow Rita, daughter Cedella, and son Ziggy.
“One Love” tracks Marley and the Wailers from 1976 to 1978, years that served as a reflective period for all of them and led to the creation of “Exodus” (later named TIME’s best album of the 20th century). It begins after an assassination attempt on Bob Marley, Rita Marley, and his manager Don Taylor, all of whom sustained significant injuries yet survived. In a now-famous and bold move, Marley performed a peace concert for 80,000 fans in Jamaica two days following the incident. We then see Marley’s exit from Jamaica, his songwriting prowess developing in London, their subsequent European tour, and his return to Jamaica for the famous “One Love Peace Concert” of 1978. Littered with Rastafarian principles on the power of speech, oneness — “I and I” rather than “you and me” — and the presence of Jah, the film is overall a tribute to the anthems that served as global motivators toward justice, freedom, and human kindness.
Now playing at Coronado Village Theatre, “Bob Marley: One Love” is waiting for you to start jamming alongside one of the world’s most humble and legendary music artists.
Movie Times: Click Here
Genre: Documentary, Drama, Musical
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Actors: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton & Anthony Welsh
Run Time: 1 hr, 47 min
Rating: PG-13 for Marijuana Use & Smoking Throughout, Some Violence, and Brief Strong Language
