(The Chronicle of Philanthropy) — What is your work at this moment? That is the central question posed by the new Bruce Springsteen biopic, “Deliver Me From Nowhere”.

The movie begins as Springsteen is coming off his sold-out tour for The River album. He’s facing an identity crisis, desperately trying to figure out what kind of artist he is — and what kind of man. The record company executives’ position is clear: Springsteen is a star, and they want a new album that will appeal to the masses, make him a megastar, and make them extremely rich.

The most startling reveal in the film is that Springsteen has actually written that megastar material — half the songs for what would become 1984’s blockbuster “Born in the U.S.A.” album, including the title track and other surefire hits such as “Glory Days.”

But in 1981, facing his particular identity crisis, singing rock anthems about beer and romance wasn’t the work Springsteen wanted to perform. His spirit was in a different place.  

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