Directed by Nick Broomfield, the documentary Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is Broomfield’s personal and romantic film of his multi-level career.

The documentary starts on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, where Leonard Cohen, then a struggling and unknown fiction writer, and Marianne Ihlen, a single mother with a young son, became part of a community of expat artists, writers, and musicians.

Never-before-seen footage shot by documentarian Broomfield brings to light a unique portrait of an idyllic 1960’s bohemia. It was a time that left a lasting imprint on both Marianne and Leonard, whose friendship would last another fifty years before their deaths in 2016.

The movie trailer is bleak with out of focus shots and undefining frames of a woman and a man. I never heard of these two people. I sense this documentary is for a limited audience. An audience who knows these individuals and can relate to them on a personal or fandom level.

I saw a clip of Cohen talking about the love between a man and a woman. I am not sure how it relates to promoting the movie, but it offers insight into his psyche – who this being is and how he feels about his relationship with Ihlen. The clip blocked, so you cannot see it. I have it posted below in hopes they will release it soon. At least, you can see an image of Cohen and how he looks, in the interview, an older man.