Because Griffin knows his famous aunt so well, his conversations with her come across as intimate and sincere. Plus, his choice of selections from Joan’s work -- as well as the friends and colleagues to include in the film -- help us understand the powerful influence of this amazing woman.
Even more important, however, is the subject herself. Now in her 80s, she listens carefully and makes sure her answers accurately depict what she’s thinking and feeling, similar to the way she writes.
Joan Didion has earned great fame.
Her writing garners high acclaim.
She captures truth as time goes by
with elegance and cynic’s eye.
Journalist, author and playwright,
she composes to gain insight.
Watching Joan in this fine movie
becomes a gift of history.
She faces suffering and pain
but still goes on to work again.
A woman to admire, for sure.
Her unique writing will endure.
Home movies, old photographs and revealing comments from people like playwright David Hare and actress Vanessa Redgrave make us wish we knew Joan Didion personally. At least that’s how I feel right now. Hare gets quite emotional when talking about Joan, and Redgrave (mother of the late Natasha Richardson) shares deep feelings of grief with her over the loss of both of their daughters. Joan’s two tragedies involve the deaths of her husband, writer John Griffin Dunne, and daughter Quintana within a short period of time. Her memoirs The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights deal with those sad events. (Redgrave appeared in Joan’s play based on the Magical Thinking book.)
Joan’s other notable books include: Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The White Album; Play It as It Lays; Where I Was From; A Book of Common Prayer; Run, River; We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live; and Democracy. She also co-wrote a number of screenplays with her husband. My favorite? Up Close and Personal, a 1996 film based on Jessica Savitch’s TV journalism career.
I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear. --- Joan Didion
It’s not surprising that Joan Didion’s writing helps many readers discover their own thoughts, feelings, meanings, wants and fears.
I always enjoy your reviews so much, happy to read another!
Never stop writing!
m
I watched LIFE a couple of days ago and was surprised that I hadn't heard much about it. It is technically as good as Gravity and scarier in its ramifications, even if the idea is preposterous and similar to the classic, Alien.
I am watching Land of Mine and find that I am peeking into a bit of lost history. The Danes recruited prisoner German soldiers, mostly very young at the end of the war, to remove the 45,000 landmines on the beaches of Denmark in payment for their war crimes. Although the dialogue is in German/Danish the subtitles follow the wrenching story of young men risking death day after day to free themselves from the Allied occupation and return home. The accidents are heartbreaking but necessary to be true to what happened.
Ron