Come for the music in documentary, Darlene Love – I Know Where I’ve Been
By: Lisa Chester
Director Barry Avrich is well known to Stratford audiences who will look forward to his latest film, Darlene Love – I Know Where I’ve Been for the deep dive into the world of the famed singer. With a community of artists behind her, she regained fame in her own right.
The film, which won the TIFF People’s Choice Documentary award, tells the remarkable story of one of popular music’s most recognizable voices, and the barriers Love faced on her journey from an uncredited singer to a music icon. The film relies on interviews with artists – her supportive community, historical footage and performances by Love in the studio to explore the early days to today.
“People just don’t know the story; her story out of so many really captivated me because she had a community behind her that supported her and wanted her to win and come back and I love the fact that this community would not let her, with her incredible voice and incredible legacy and pedigree, would not let her fail and that’s what amazed me. Show business is very hard, and yet this group of people from Dionne Warwick to Bruce Springsteen, to Paul Shaffer and Cher, all of them that are in the film just said no, you deserve another chance,” said Avrich.
The phrase, “I know where I’ve been” is a lyric from a song in the musical Hairspray, which became a great come back vehicle for Love as she appeared in the Broadway production and started to become noticed again.
“It suggests for me that she has travelled an extraordinarily difficult road and the hardship, peaks and valleys that she endured. She knows that she was a star once that makes it a double-edged sword to know what stardom feels like and at the same time to not have it and have it taken away is very painful so she has a history and she knows where she’s been and she knows where she’s going,” Avrich explained.
The point of the film is for the world to take note and certainly, as Avrich said, her going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame changes everything because that’s a big deal and few people get in. He hopes the film memorializes her performances and where Love stands in music history.
The early performances featured throughout the film are a trip to see, it is surprising how much of Love’s music is familiar while she was not, though should have been. She was a product of the Phil Spector machine. “The singer saw an instrument, not an artist,” according to Spector.
And what a powerhouse Love remains today, who at 85 still sings like never before in studio footage captured for the film. Her laughter interspersed in conversation will endear the audience who too will count themselves as part of the supportive community surrounding her return as an icon.
Darlene Love - I Know Where I’ve Been is appearing as part of the 2026 Stratford Film Festival screening Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Stratford City Hall auditorium. Following the screening will be a Q-and-A with Avrich and his producer Mark Selby.
Tickets and passes are available online at stratfordfilmfestival.com. New this year is the Next Gen pass for those under 30.
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