“You’re looking at a sick man”, grins Pete Doherty, troubled co- founder of English indie band The Libertines. And it’s hard to disagree. His struggles with addiction have been legend in the UK, often overshadowing his music career. The British tabloids went wild during the band’s late nineties heyday, documenting heroin use, his relationship with Kate Moss, and wildly chaotic gigs.
Nowadays, holed up in France with his wife, Katia de Vidas, and baby Billie May, Doherty is a bit heavier and wiser, if not quite the picture of sobriety (there’s a lot of drinking throughout).
Doherty, at times teary eyed, and other times quick and waspish, is still charming and disarmingly funny. There’s a sense that he and best friend/ band mate Carl Barat, who is included here talking before a festival appearance, have made peace, although it’s clearly a brittle relationship, still very much a work in progress.
Theroux is a better interviews these days. Gone is the wide eyed naif, and instead he’s more direct, letting his subject do the talking. The result is a poignant, heartfelt documentary, with Doherty, like his newborn, finding his way forward through baby steps: one at a time.
Available through BBC I Player
Hit The North 
your writing is exquisite. i can’t believe that’s him. let’s hope his story remains one of transformation and art we love.
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Thanks so much, that’s lovely. I am not a Pete Doherty fan, per se, but I like him, and hope he can get sober. It’s been sad to see the problems along the way. This film is really beautiful.
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