Inside Netflix's Gut-Wrenching Avicii Film, an Ode to the Fragile Genius of a DJ Who Couldn't Escape

“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 upcoming Netflix documentary Avicii – I’m Tim.

Due out December 31st on Netflix, the film is set to release in tandem with Avicii – My Last Show, which revisits the night he graced the stage of Ibiza’s storied Ushuaïa club for what would be his final performance. The prolific songwriter and dance music producer, whose real name was Tim Bergling, died by suicide less than two years later in 2018.

“I was a lot happier before I was famous than after I was famous,” Bergling says in the documentary, of which EDM.com viewed an advance screening. “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.”

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. Director Henrik Burman said he absorbed “thousands of hours” of private archival footage, audio recordings and even ultrasound scans and babyhood memories captured on family VHS tapes, many of which appear in the film.

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, he reveals in the film. 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 musical collaborators shared similar concerns at the time. It was agonizingly clear the haunting lyrics that now define his discography were a window into his soul as his struggles took a turn for the worse.

Speaking in the documentary, Aloe Blacc ponders Avicii’s state of mind when writing the first lines of their collaborative song “SOS,” which ultimately appeared in 2019’s posthumous album Tim. Exploring themes of persistent hope against despair, the lyrics (“Can you hear me? SOS / Help me put my mind to rest”) left breadcrumbs of his inner turmoil that now reverberate with devastating clarity.

“It seemed as though we had this call for help, and I’m receiving this letter from Tim way too late,” said Blacc, who is also the featured voice in Avicii’s most-streamed song, the timeless “Wake Me Up.” 

The film also features interviews with David Guetta and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, among various other Avicii collaborators, as well as his former manager Arash Pournouri, who played a pivotal role in his rise to fame.

Avicii – I’m Tim will release on Netflix December 31st, 2024. You can watch the trailer below.