Synopsis

Naked Companions tells the story of Sinead O'Connor's meteoric rise to global fame and how her iconoclastic personality pushed her out of the pop music mainstream. The film depicts O'Connor's prophetic words between 1987 and 1993 and the legacy of this bold pioneer through a contemporary feminist lens.

Program Note

“I didn't want to be a pop star, I wanted to be the scream of the world.” The film opens with a scene from a Bob Dylan 30th anniversary tribute concert in which the Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor sings an unaccompanied, wailing rendition of “The War” to boos from the audience. This was in response to the public backlash at the time for her tearing up a picture of the Pope to criticize the child molestation scandal involving Catholic priests. The film captures the fiery life of Sinead, who nevertheless continued to resist discrimination, exploitation, and injustice with a warm gaze of solidarity. (Choi Jung-jin)

Director

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  •  Kathryn Ferguson