Rather than simply documenting a series of concerts, Frías creates a work that feels intimate, reflective and deeply emotional, perfectly suited to a band whose music has spent more than four decades examining the darker and more profound aspects of the human experience.
The film was assembled from footage captured during Depeche Mode’s three sold-out performances at Mexico City’s Foro Sol Stadium in September 2023, where nearly 200,000 fans gathered to celebrate the band and the songs of the Memento Mori era. Those shows took place in the shadow of the loss of founding member Andy Fletcher, whose death in 2022 gave the album and subsequent tour an added emotional resonance. Frías recognised that the themes running through Memento Mori—grief, remembrance, mortality and renewal—had a natural connection with Mexico’s rich cultural traditions surrounding death and remembrance. That idea became the foundation for the film.
The live performances are magnificent throughout. Dave Gahan delivers one of the strongest vocal performances of his career, commanding the enormous stadium with charisma and emotional intensity, while Martin Gore provides both musical depth and moments of tenderness. The film features many of the songs that defined the Memento Mori tour, including crowd favourites such as “Enjoy the Silence,” “Personal Jesus,” “Never Let Me Down Again,” “Everything Counts,” “World in My Eyes,” “Walking in My Shoes,” and “Just Can’t Get Enough,” alongside newer material from Memento Mori. Gore’s performances of “Home” and “Soul With Me” are particularly affecting, bringing moments of stillness and reflection amid the larger stadium spectacle.
What makes M special, however, is the way these performances are interwoven with non-concert material. Between songs, Frías introduces sequences exploring Mexican attitudes toward death, remembrance and spirituality. Viewers encounter imagery connected to traditions such as Día de los Muertos, alongside scenes of everyday life, family memory and cultural rituals that reflect the themes embedded within Depeche Mode’s music. Archival footage, atmospheric visual essays and reflective narration combine to create an experience that feels closer to a documentary meditation than a straightforward live recording.
The decision to frame the concerts through a Mexican cultural lens proves inspired. Depeche Mode have always attracted particularly passionate audiences in Mexico, and the devotion of the fans becomes a character in the film itself. Frías captures the emotion of tens of thousands singing every word back to the band, demonstrating how these songs have become part of people’s lives and personal histories. The result is a portrait not only of a band but of the enduring relationship between artists and audiences across generations.
The editing skilfully balances spectacle and introspection, allowing the audience to experience both the excitement of a Depeche Mode concert and the reflective mood that underpins the Memento Mori project. The transitions between music and documentary material feel purposeful rather than intrusive, reinforcing the central themes rather than distracting from them.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of M is that it succeeds on multiple levels simultaneously. It works as a celebration of Depeche Mode’s remarkable live power, as a tribute to Andy Fletcher’s memory, as an exploration of Mexican cultural traditions, and as a thoughtful meditation on mortality itself. The film never becomes overly sombre, however. Instead, it continually returns to the idea that music offers connection, comfort and even joy in the face of life’s inevitable losses.
Donnie’s Rating: 8.5/10
