Director Francis Whately Talks David Bowie: The Last Five Years

Two years ago the world lost one of its most unique characters in David Bowie. The singer, nay, the artist seemed to live his life eons ahead of the mere mortals that surrounded him, bringing a kind of expressive performance to the music scene no one had encountered before.

In his latest documentary about the icon, director and producer Francis Whately dissects the winter of Bowie's career. Heartfelt recounts of what Bowie was like during his final tour from his band members, some of the people that knew him best, illustrate the impact Bowie had on his fans and those closest to him.

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"I was a childhood fan, so I was really keen to make a film," said Whately, who counts this as his second documentary centered around Bowie. "I supposed I liked the otherness, the otherworldliness of him, and the fact that he was experimenting all the time. I liked the idea that you could sort of be whoever you wanted to be."

Whately explains that, while his first film looked at how Bowie seemed to be ever-changing, this one revealed that, in fact, that deep down Bowie remained constant. "[The film] presents a portrait of a complete man that is a man who is wrestling with some of the big issues of life - spirituality, mortality, etc. at the beginning of his career, and he carries on doing that," he said.

"This was a man who had enormous integrity in that he carried on working right up until the end. This was a man who was excessively creative, and this was a man who, more than being a musician, was an artist," he added. "I don't know why anyone wouldn't be a fan." David Bowie: The Last Five Years premieres on HBO tonight. Watch the trailer, below.