Avicii’s Legacy Explored: A New Documentary Shines a Light on His Life and Tragic End

Netflix

“I didn’t like having to be Avicii, and then having to be Tim.”

That heartbreaking line from Avicii captures the gnawing duality of the legendary DJ, who posthumously narrates his own tragic journey in the Netflix documentary Avicii: I’m Tim.

Streaming now on Netflix, the film offers an intimate portrayal of Avicii’s life and career, intertwining his own words with archival footage. Avicii, born Tim Bergling, narrates the story through interviews and recordings collected over the years. “Before Avicii, there was Tim,” the Netflix description reads. “Through his own words, witness how a prodigious musical talent became one of the defining artists of his generation.”

“I was a lot happier before I was famous than after I was famous,” Bergling says in the documentary. “I started feeling kind of very empty and unhappy. So I was just on autopilot mode. I started really f***ing wondering why I was feeling like this. I hadn’t been honest to myself, what I was feeling… And my tempo also didn’t really give me much time to explore it either.”

Director Henrik Burman, a longtime music journalist and musician, worked closely with Bergling’s family and spent countless hours piecing together the DJ’s story. “When I determined that he’d be the one who’d narrate this story, I thought that maybe it was how I could be close to him,” Burman explained. He unearthed a treasure trove of interviews, audio recordings, and personal artifacts that shed light on Bergling’s internal struggles.

Many have spun the last vestiges of Avicii into multimedia experiences in the wake of his death, but none have achieved the level of intimacy as Avicii: I’m Tim. The documentary explores his mental health battles, substance abuse, and the unrelenting pressures of fame, including journal entries written during his treatment. “Those days in hospital were the most anxiety and stress-free days I can remember in the past six years,” Bergling wrote. “Those were my true vacations, as depressing as it might sound.”

It’s a poignant retrospective examining the gradual deterioration of a generational artist grappling with the unrelenting weight of the music industry’s demands and in desperate need of an escape. When Bergling’s inner demons finally became too loud to ignore, his father Klas arranged an hours-long intervention attended by the DJ’s siblings, friends, and management team. His son was “furious” and refused to give in at first but ultimately agreed it was time to change.

“It was excruciatingly painful to see the look in his eyes,” Klas recalled with a wince.

Avicii’s collaborators also reflect on his state of mind and the haunting clarity of his lyrics. Aloe Blacc, featured on “Wake Me Up” and “SOS,” remarks on the emotional resonance of their work. The lyrics of “SOS” (“Can you hear me? SOS / Help me put my mind to rest”) serve as breadcrumbs of Bergling’s inner turmoil. “It seemed as though we had this call for help, and I’m receiving this letter from Tim way too late,” Blacc said.

The film also features insights from David Guetta, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Avicii’s former manager Arash Pournouri, who played a pivotal role in his rise to fame.

More than six years after his passing, Avicii: I’m Tim serves as a celebration and a sobering reminder of the fragility of genius. The posthumous album Tim, released in 2019, remains a powerful testament to his legacy. As Burman reflects, “He’d say things like, ‘If there’s a documentary, we need to talk about alcohol; we need to talk about the bad things in my life.’ I’ve been listening to Tim for hours and hours trying to understand him and put together the puzzle of who he was as a person and who Avicii was as this amazing artist.”

Avicii: I’m Tim was released on Netflix on December 31st, 2024.