On Sept. 27, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. at the Abele Cinema in the Oriental Theatre, the documentary “Sara Bareilles: Good Grief,” directed by Josh Alexander, screened at 2026 Dialogues Documentary Festival hosted by Milwaukee Film.
We join her in the studio after she has not written an album since her 2018 release. The film follows Bareilles as she works on her next album “Good Grief,” where we get a glimpse at six of the 14 songs on the album.
The film is shown in a span of six days as they record in Dreamland recording in Woodstock New Year, which is an old church converted into a recording studio. The band plays catch-up, covering all the good, bad and ugly life moments that they all missed in not seeing each other for a while.
You see a glimpse, from the beginning, of the grief that gets poured into the album from everyone, not just Bareilles.
The viewer is provided with intimate details about the meanings of the six songs. One is about losing her best friend, and another about infidelity and being in Colorado. Another is about rolling with the punches of life and the heavy emotions that come with it.
The album as a whole covers every aspect of grief and offers a healing hand.
Within the documentary, I really enjoyed seeing behind-the-scenes of making the album and how much emotion truly went into it. Bareilles let the world in and director Josh Alexander did an amazing job capturing and showing it.
I recommend everyone see this documentary, and I would give it five out of five stars.
I can’t count how many times I have listened to the whole album and not actually cry at some of the songs. This has helped heal from some past losses and I very much have enjoyed this new music from here.
They use different music styles, including jazz and reggae. She also returns to genres found within her past releases and discography. If you haven’t checked out the album, do it and discover new songs to listen to from her. It’s available on all streaming services. I would also give it five out of five stars.