“From a directing standpoint, Higbee and Lough should be applauded for their willingness to include so much footage that depicts Perry in less than flattering light. That’s not to say there isn’t a fair amount of film that thoroughly lauds Perry’s genius. The Upsetter, though, is a documentary that allows the audience to observe its central character in full view. Perry comes off as a real person, fully flawed, fully engaging, at times tormented, at times cartoonish, but always honest.

At one point Perry, in footage now decades old, calls Marley lucky for being dead, that he should thank God for saving him from “all those vampires and parasites” that clung to his revolution music. It is at once a clear example of the deep resentment and the anger Scratch Perry holds for the industry of music, and just one of many ever-shifting viewpoints, sentiments, personas the title character inhibits throughout his varied career.”

The Upsetter will be playing at Cinematheque, 100 Arthur St., Nov. 16 to Nov. 20 — all shows at 7:00 p.m..