“I Wanted People to See the Commonality of the Human Experience Through the Unique Perspective of a Near Mythical Figure”: Christopher Frierson on his HBO Music Box Doc DMX: Don’t Try to Understand

The title tagline “A Year in the Life of Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons” is a rather anodyne description that belies the emotional rollercoaster ride that filmmaker (and podcaster) Christopher Frierson takes us on in his riveting debut feature DMX: Don’t Try to Understand, which currently plays on HBO as part of the channel’s Music Box series. Filmed during what would turn out to be the last year of the acclaimed rapper’s life, the doc moves with lightning speed from packed concerts to corporate conference rooms, from meaningful meetups with fans to intimate reconciliations with family members. It’s a whirlwind of a life, jam-packed with demands that would be taxing on even the most resilient individual. And Simmons is undoubtedly that. But the powerful musician — who seems to be on a mission to save others, often at the expense of his own mental health – is also a fragile human being who just got out of prison after serving a year for tax evasion. And one with a lifetime of baggage battling drug addiction. In other words, and to put it bluntly, there’s a ticking time bomb of self-destruction ready to go off. Which ultimately renders DMX: Don’t Try to Understand both a heartfelt celebration of a flawed hero and a tragic postmortem. Filmmaker reached out to Frierson, who made headlines of his own last summer for having the wherewithal to keep his camera rolling as the NYPD pepper sprayed him during a racial justice protest, to find out all about the doc, getting his start, and nailing that goosebump-inducing final scene.

To read my interview visit Filmmaker magazine.