According to Variety, ‘Nico, 1988’ will document the last two years of the German cult icon’s life, her transition to methadone-post heroin addiction, the revival of her music, and of course, the tragedy and shock of her passing.
Nicchiarelli seems eager to restore Nico’s reputation in making the final years of her life a focus. In a statement to International buyers at the Rome Film Festival’s Mia market she claims:
“Most people think, as Andy Warhol once said, that after her experience with Velvet Underground and the Factory – and after having sex with most of the rock stars of those years – Nico simply ‘became a fat junkie’ and ‘disappeared,” she revealed “But is this how her life really went?” The director shared with Variety.
Shedding light on the events that actually took place after the glamour and intrigue faded, the film begins with Nico aged 48, strung out on heroin. The film then goes on to show her going on tour in Europe as a soloist with a new manager, and progressively reveals her rehabilitation as the tour progresses. Her son Ari features in the biopic as a young teenager whom Nico had allegedly got hooked onto heroin in real life. Unpredictable events caused her death: she fell off her bicycle after having a minor heart attack, and wrongly diagnosed as having heat stroke which lead to her unfortunate passing of cerebral haemorrhaging.
As harsh and detached as Nico’s manner could be, her life was always experienced on the precipice of life and death. Her sonic antiquity and dedication to life as a dark, subversive, androgynous, otherworldly and somewhat chance model of feminine power naturally put her in the limelight as a cultural icon. Nicchiarelli has a big task ahead of her, but not one beyond her means.
To dig deep into the enigma that is Nico, flick through Masters of Photography Vol. 151 and check out Fashion Industry Broadcast’s featured muses. Now available internationally on Amazon.