Documentary filmmakers Jeff and Jess Finn are trying to raise $50,000 to finish their Jim Morrison documentary titled Before the End: Jim Morrison Comes of Age. The Finns have been working on the documentary about The Doors frontman for a year, and they launched the Kickstarter campaign on the 42nd anniversary of Morrison’s death in Paris.
“We think the story of The Doors has been told countless times,” said Jeff Finn, “but nuanced Morrison truths remain covered up by myths, distortions, and lies. Ideally, Before the End will function as a counterpoint to the negative knee-jerk reactions people have toward Jim, which seem based on certain portrayals that have been etched in stone.”
And Jeff Finn wants The Doors fans to know that with the project, they’re neither “deifying nor demonizing” Jim Morrison. “We’re trying to reveal his humanity, especially as it applies to his formative years,” explained Finn. “Making this documentary feels akin to a murder mystery, like who killed Jim Morrison by character assassination? I guess you could say we’re also trying to avenge Jim in a sense.”
The documentary will feature interviews with family, friends, and classmates of Jim Morrison as well as the first on-camera interview with Jim’s brother Andy. The Finns also snagged an interview with Florida State University Medieval History Professor Ralph Turner who will talk about the paper Morrison wrote for him on Hieronymus Bosch. And all of the research done traveling the country will help the Finns deliver a film that shows Jim as more than just a rock god. “There was so much more to Jim Morrison than a rock star,” stated Jess Finn. “And that remains the case today. Now we just need to show it. We receive emails and messages from all around the world. People want to know what Jim was really like.”
Details on Before the End: “The Finns’ ultimate goal is to bring the real Jim Morrison to light. Before the End mainly focuses on the singer/poet’s formative years, a key period that after 40 years has yet to see much in the way of serious research. In addition, the couple takes on Morrison’s notorious time in The Doors as well as his mysterious demise.”
