Bruce Springsteen opens the most honest chapter of his life. The new film “Deliver Me from Nowhere” shows how his mental struggle gave birth to one of the most powerful albums of all time
The darkest and most human Bruce Springsteen is coming soon to the big screen, through the new biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.” A film that focuses not only on the glory of “The Boss,” but on his most difficult, internal battle – the battle with himself.
Director Scott Cooper revealed that the film illuminates “the most painful chapter of Springsteen’s life.” Speaking to PEOPLE at the film’s premiere at the New York Film Festival, he explained that the project focuses on the period after “The River” tour, when Springsteen, instead of pursuing greater fame, turned inward, trying to confront his personal demons.
Cooper says: "At that time Bruce had every reason to continue to fill stadiums, but he did something completely different. He had the courage to stop, look inside himself and face what was hurting him. The result was – I think – the best album of his career and one of the most important of the last fifty years."
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The story unfolds as Springsteen, then just 32, struggles to reconcile his massive success with the trauma he carried from his past. His panic attacks, isolation, and inner anguish inspired an album unlike anything he had done before – “Nebraska.”
The film, starring Jeremy Allen White, is not another musical biopic full of bright moments, but a psychological portrait of a man trying to get back on his feet. Cooper notes, “It’s not a mental health message film, but when you see Bruce working through his pain, you realize how important it is to talk about it. I hope that those who are struggling with similar issues will find something in this story that resonates with them and maybe the strength to reach out for help.”
The director emphasized that White’s choice for the role of Springsteen was clear from the start: “Jeremy has that look, that quiet intensity and that inner fire that the role needed. He’s not trying to imitate Bruce; he’s living him.” In the film, we see the actor reenact the creative process behind “Nebraska” — an album that Springsteen recorded alone, in a small room in his New Jersey home, with a four-track cassette player.
This recording choice gave the album a raw, almost haunting sound, full of characters wandering, searching for hope in the darkness. As Cooper says: “The music on ‘Nebraska’ feels like it was written in a parallel universe. It’s not a celebration, it’s a confession.”
According to the film's official title, "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" tells the story of the singer's time on the verge of fame and collapse. A moment when "The Boss" was ready to become a global icon, but chose to isolate himself and immerse himself in his loneliness.
Cooper explains that the film is not intended to be "heavy" or didactic. "I didn't want to make a film that talks about depression like a lecture. I wanted to show how pain can become creation. And Bruce is probably the most striking example of that."
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Springsteen's relationship with mental health is not unknown. He has spoken openly in the past about his panic attacks and periods of deep sadness, describing his life as "a family full of mental illness." In his book "Born to Run," he mentioned that around the age of 32 he experienced "a kind of breakdown that forced me to stop and breathe."
The film shows this phase, not in a melodramatic way, but with sensitivity. Cooper wants to show that art was the way out, and that “Nebraska” was not just a record – it was a healing process.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” tells a story of a life that many people don’t know. The title, borrowed from Springsteen’s lyrics, sums up the whole point: the need to find hope where there is none. “This story,” Cooper says, “is for everyone who has ever felt lost. It’s for those who struggle in silence.”
The film is full of music – but not the commercial hits of “Born in the USA” or “Glory Days.” Instead, the melancholic, almost haunting tracks of “Nebraska” are heard. The film shows Springsteen composing in his home, writing alone at night, with a small light and an old guitar.
Cooper emphasizes that “this is the side of Bruce that few know: the man who doubts, who gets tired, who keeps quiet.” And it’s this honesty that makes the film so real.
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“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is released in theaters on October 24th, from 20th Century Studios. A film about the man behind the legend, the silence behind the noise, and the music born from the deepest loneliness.
