Christian Eigner, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode, Depeche Mode: M, documentaries, Fernando Frias, film festivals, Joshua Ellingson, Mexico City, movies, music, Peter Gordeno, reviews
October 30, 2025
by Carla Hay
Directed by Fernando Frías
Some language in Spanish with subtitles
Culture Representation: The documentary film “Depeche Mode M” features a white and Latin group of people who are participants, audience members or connected in some way to British rock band Depeche Mode’s September 2023 concerts at Foro Sol stadium in Mexico City, Mexico.
Culture Clash: The documentary has themes of Mexico’s cultural relationship with death.
Culture Audience: “Depeche Mode: M” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Depeche Mode and rock concert documentaries that have artsy and poetic touches.
“Depeche Mode: M,” filmed during the band’s Mexico City concerts in 2023, does something different from a typical concert documentary: including Spanish-language literature readings in between the on-stage footage. The live performance is good, not great.
The set list selected for this concert includes generous selections of Depeche Mode songs from all the decades of the band’s existence so far, from Depeche Mode’s 1980s origins to 2023. (The electro pop-rock band was formed in 1980 in Basildon, England.) But with only 16 songs as part of this 100-minute documentary’s performance set list, the documentary has inevitable omissions from Depeche Mode’s greatest hits.
Directed by Fernando Frías (also known as Fernando Frías de la Parra), “Depeche Mode: M” has footage from three sold-out Depeche Mode shows at the stadium Foro Sol on September 21, September 23 and September 25, 2023. A estimated total of 190,000 people attended all three concerts, which were part of Depeche Mode’s world tour in support of Depeche Mode’s 2023 album “Memento Mori.” “Depeche Mode: M” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.
In Spanish, “Memento Mori” means “Remember you must die.” Themes of life and death are intertwined throughout the concert. In between the song performances are filmed interludes of poetry that is read in Spanish, with several artistically filmed montages (often in black and white) of images, such as Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) mementos or a man dressed all in white and wearing angel wings. Daniel Giménez Cacho is the main narrator for these literature readings. In these filmed interludes, the documentary occasionally shows fans from Mexico who talk about what Depeche Mode means to them.
The movie begins with a voiceover of Cacho saying that a daily sacrifice of blood is necessary for the survival of humanity according to ancient Mexican (Aztec) culture. The narration adds that there are nine levels to achieve salvations. Later in the documentary, during one of the poetry interludes, a portion of José María Heredia’s sonnet about Cato the Younger is read about Cato’s form of justice while a haunting image of a swamp is shown on screen.
Lead singer Dave Gahan and keyboardist/guitarist Martin Gore are the only two remaining original members of Depeche Mode who are still in the band. The “Memento Mori” album and tour were the first since the death of Depeche Mode co-founder/keyboardist Andy Fletcher, who died in 2022, after an aortic dissection. Fletcher was 60 years old. Depeche Mode’s touring lineup is rounded out by drummer/keyboardist Christian Eigner – drums, keyboards (who’s been touring with Depeche Mode since 1997) and keyboardist/bass guitarist Peter Gordeno (who’s been touring with Depeche Mode since 1998).
The opening song (“My Cosmos Is Mine” from “Memento Mori”) starts off with black and white lighting before the stage is bathed in a warm gold lighting. The cinematography is captivating and immersive. However, it takes a while for the energy level to pick up during the band’s performance. By the ninth song (“A Pain That I’m Used To” from Depeche Mode’s 2005 album “Playing the Angel”), the band gets into a vibrant groove that remains for most of the concert.
Gahan still has a few vestiges of the 1980s New Wave image of Depeche Mode (eye makeup), but his stage performance is much more polished, coordinated and relaxed, compared to the gangly jerking style he had in the band’s early years. At times, Gahan sways his arms back and forth above his head, like an aerobics instructor. Other times, he twirls around like rock version of Houdini. During “A Pain That I’m Used To,” he grabs his crotch in a way that might remind people of Mick Jagger’s performance style from the 1970s.
Gore has a memorable turn in the spotlight when he sings lead vocals on “Soul With Me” (from “Memento Mori”), but he lets Gahan do all the talking on stage. And there isn’t much on-stage banter. After “Soul With Me,” Gahan does an enthusiastic introduction of his band mates and saying that Gore has a “wonderful, angelic voice.”
In between the seventh song “Speak to Me” and eighth song “Soul With Me,” visual artist Joshua Ellingson is shown in a filmed interlude where he talks about Depeche Mode’s influence on his art. Ellingson also mentions his version of his “Pepper’s Ghost” project. There are also striking images of analog TV sets stacked on top of each other like a pyramid, which was a popular type of art installation in the 1980s.
A performance highlights in the documentary is a lively extended version of “Enjoy the Silence” (from Depeche Mode’s 1990 “Violator” album), which has the massive crowd singing along to all the words. Gahan holds up a silk Mexican flag handed to him by an audience member. The flag has the letter “D” on the left side and the letter “M” on the right side. The documentary has the expected wide-angle interior and exterior shots of the stadium, with occasional close-ups on certain audience members.
Fletcher is given a lovely tribute during the performance of “World in My Eyes,” which features several giant images of Fletcher on video screens. The documentary concludes on a high momentum, with great versions of “Never Let Me Down Again” (from Depeche Mode’s 1987 album “Music for the Masses”) and a rousing rendition of “Personal Jesus” (from the “Violator” album). The songs “Ghost Again” and “In the End” are played during the documentary’s ends credits.
Fans who want to see performances of other Depeche Mode hits, such as 1981’s “Just Can’t Get Enough” or 1993’s “I Feel You” might be disappointed since those songs aren’t in the documentary. (The band did not perform Depeche Mode’s 1984 classic “People Are People” during the “Momento Mori” tour.) A longer compilation of songs from Depeche Mode’s 2023 concerts in Mexico City are on the band’s live album titled “Memento Mori: Mexico City,” whose release date is December 5, 2025.
Here is the complete set list for “Depeche Mode: M”
- My Cosmos is Mine
- Wagging Tongue
- It’s No Good
- Everything Counts
- My Favorite Stranger
- Sister of Night
- Speak to Me
- Soul With Me
- A Pain That I’m Used To
- Wrong
- Stripped
- World in My Eyes
- Enjoy the Silence
- Condemnation
- Never Let Me Down Again
- Personal Jesus
End credits songs:
- Ghost Again
- In the End
Trafalgar Releasing released “Depeche Mode: M” in U.S. cinemas on October 28, 2025. Sony Music Entertainment will release the movie onm Blu-ray and DVD on December 5, 2025.