Pharrell Williams doc ‘Piece by Piece’ understood the assignment

Piece by Piece is an excellent experiment in musical documentary filmmaking that works fantastically well with Pharrell Williams’ incredible life story and impressive discography.

You may have forgotten, but Pharrell is one of the greatest producers of all time. He made massive strides in how music is mixed and how genres have been bent into modern hits. He changed R&B, pop, alternative, electronica—he’s had his hands in it all. The evolution of his sound encourages Piece by Piece’s narrative structure to explore Pharrell’s life. 

Optimistic and colorful, the animation of Piece by Piece sometimes provides comic relief to the heavier tones of Pharell’s narration. The use of LEGO gives the film a playful nature by design and offers a built-in metaphor for Pharell’s success, “Brick by Brick,” which he emphasized at the Q&A following a screening of Piece by Piece at TIFF. The vibrance of this animation also lends its useful visualization to Pharrell William’s Chromesthesia diagnosis, where he sees and associates colors with different sounds and notes. 

Many top-tier artists lent their voices and anecdotes to Piece by Piece’s narrative. We hear from Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, Timbaland, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Daft Punk, Jay-Z, N.O.R.E., and Pharell’s Neptunes collaborator Chad Hugo. Though Pharrell has come out in the last few days and said that he and Chad Hugo are no longer on speaking terms, Piece by Piece highlights their friendship and collaboration in a positive light. 

Director Morgan Neville understood the assignment when he took on Pharrell’s story. This film explores the highs and lows of Pharrell’s life and career. I appreciated the mystical reverences that enlightened his origin story, coming from Virginia Beach and moving on to the Hollywood Hills. Pharrell faces external pressure and the sharp corners of his own ego in this retrospective. 

Piece by Piece also reflects where Pharrell sits in his current phase of life. He’s a dad with four children, and his musical direction has taken many turns to end up in this upbeat, yellow era. In a decade, this documentary may not feel so representative of Pharrell. However, that is also the nature of documentaries while the subject still lives. Still, it’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours if you’re a fan of Pharrell’s music and artistic style.