Seeing Through Paul

Ondi Timoner follows Paul Westerberg through his native Minneapolis while he's working on Suicaine Gratifaction, his third solo album. The camera moves from cramped studio sessions to aimless walks and casual hangouts, tracing songwriting, recording takes, and the small interruptions that shape a record. Westerberg talks, tunes, jokes, and tests arrangements with collaborators, and the film lingers on lyric edits, equipment glitches, and late night hours. Timoner favors long, unobtrusive shots that reveal routine rehearsals as much as flashes of inspiration. The result is an intimate portrait of an artist at work and at ease, a record of creative labor that mixes music with everyday moments without offering a neat narrative arc, a staged performance, nor any manufactured moments.

Seeing Through Paul premiered in 1999 and was directed by Ondi Timoner. The documentary was filmed during sessions for Paul Westerberg's Suicaine Gratifaction, shot on location in Minneapolis with a loose, cinema verite approach and minimal narration or framing elements.

The film saw a limited theatrical release and festival screenings, with modest commercial returns. It found a larger audience on home video and through music-focused broadcasts rather than mainstream box office success. It continues to circulate among Westerberg's fanbase today.

Among fans and indie music communities the film became a valued portrait of Westerberg's process, cited for its intimate access and unvarnished tone. Musicians and documentarians often reference its fly on the wall method when discussing music filmmaking. It influenced other music documentarians and appears in occasional festival retrospectives worldwide.

Critics responded to the film as a patient, observational record rather than a flashy biopic, praising its focus on craft and quotidian detail. Themes include artistic solitude, the practical work of making songs, and the tension between public persona and private routine. Reviewers highlighted Westerberg's authenticity and director's patient gaze.