★★★1/2

Kathryn Ferguson’s detailed look at the meteoric rise and sudden fall from the limelight for Irish alt-rocker Sinéad O’Connor, Nothing Compares, is a whirlwind look at seven volatile years in her music career. From gaining critical acclaim and becoming buzzworthy with her 1987 debut album, “The Lion & The Cobra,” to global fame in 1990, and through her infamous 1992 appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and the Bob Dylan tribute concert days later, the film presents an affecting look at how fame and celebrity can truly be dangerous for someone ill prepared to stand under such an invasive spotlight.

Eschewing the traditional talking heads narrative approach, Ferguson uses voiceovers, including O’Connor herself, sharing stories and anecdotes which paint the portrait vividly of O’Connor’s complicated upbringing. With dysfunction and abuse defining her youth, both at home and from her days in Catholic school, her rise to fame was fraught with obstacles. Pregnant by age 20, and signed to a deal with Ensign Records, O’Connor’s partner, in life and music at the time, John Reynolds, shares that the label asked her to consider aborting her pregnancy. Apparently, it made things complicated for the upcoming release of her debut record.

Relevations like that attempt to reframe O’Connor’s story and present her in a more vulnerable and empathetic light. Her shaved head and gender-neutral fashion style is described by singer Peaches as decades ahead of its time. A fashion icon from the moment her debut music video dropped in 1987, O’Connor’s multi-octave voice could range from soft and vulnerable to strong and defiant, sometimes within the same song. And it all worked. It all fit. When “The Lion & The Cobra” started to get attention on alternative and college radio, as well as on MTV, O’Connor’s star was becoming exceedingly bright.

Amid the rise, we learn that behind-the-scenes O’Connor was already upset with her label and was struggling to embrace all the joy and success coming her way. O’Connor states again and again that attempts were made to diffuse her outspoken demeanor and activist mindset. In 1990, she became a worldwide phenomenon with album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” a multi-platinum record which spawned her only No. 1 hit, and only Top 40 American hit, the iconic cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Sadly, the Prince Estate refused to allow Ferguson or Showtime Documentary Films permission to use O’Connor’s version of the song in the film. Speculating here, but this could be because of some strange allegations O’Connor made about Prince, indicating that when they met they had a physical altercation and he assaulted her. This story is not included or discussed, just a title card at the end informs why the song is not used in the documentary.

This is important I think because O’Connor’s stories and experiences are presented in a way that paints her in a far more favorable light than some will be expecting to see. And, honestly, O’Connor does deserve a re-evaluation.

We get complete explanation and understanding for why she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul on “Saturday Night Live,” and the significance behind her choosing to perform an acapella rendition of Bob Marley’s “War” on the telecast. We also see a fresher context for her ill-fated appearance two weeks later at Madison Square Garden in New York at the Dylan tribute. After initial cheers were drowned out by an unyielding chorus of boos, she called off her band, performed “War” acapella again, and then was consoled as she exited the stage by an accepting and understanding Kris Kristofferson.

At the end of the day, O’Connor may have sealed her fate as an A-list rocker with her actions in 1992, but she is showcased her as someone who was not going to be silenced or suppressed any longer. She continues to make music to this day, having released a total of 11 full-length albums as of this writing. And while the movie goes a wee bit far in presenting a montage of current singers Ferguson seems to feel owe a debt of gratitude to O’Connor, the point is also made that it becomes far too easy to forget her talent, presence, and the unmistakable power O’Connor shared with the world.

Though significant events ignored from O’Connor’s life in later years are notably, maybe even remarkably absent, Nothing Compares remains an intriguing look at a singer who spoke loudly whenever she could, stood up for those who she felt could not be heard, and still struggles to fully comprehend everything that happened to her in such a relatively short period of time.

Nothing Compares was screened as part of the 48th Seattle International Film Festival.