Be Here To Love Me

2005 • 99 minutes

About this movie

As a musician, Townes Van Zandt was legendary-- perhaps one of the greatest who ever lived, inspiring artists from Bob Dylan to Norah Jones to Steve Earle. As a man, a husband, and a father his life was as tragic and as beautiful as the songs he wrote. Townes was an enigma to his family, pinned between a deep longing for home and the nomadic lifestyle that was necessary for his livelihood. Director Margaret Brown's Be Here To Love Me is an artful, expertly directed portrait of both of these sides of Van Zandt and ultimately serves as an insightful look at the sacrifices, challenges, and consequences faced in pursuit of a dream.
Though he released dozens of albums throughout his 30 year career, Townes never achieved widespread popularity (though Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard had a #1 country hit with his song "Pancho & Lefty," and Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett continue to play his songs live). Yet Townes, whose lyrics resonate with such sad beauty, has, in the years since his death in 1997, become widely respected as one of the greatest American musicians of his, or any, generation. Be Here To Love Me shows us why, and shows us the man at the center of the myth.
Haunting and lyrical, Be Here To Love Me combines emotional interviews with friends and family with never seen footage of Townes Van Zandt, from rare performance and interview footage to intimate portraits shot in Van Zandt’s own home throughout the years. It also includes appearances by many famous musicians, including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris.

Ratings and reviews

Love TVZ and his music. Excellent bio and heartfelt.

Fantastic