Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017)

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017)

Not Rated

netflix

7.1

Movie

United States of America
English
Documentary
2017
GRIFFIN DUNNE
Amy Robinson, Anna Wintour, Bobby Beausoleil
92 min

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What it's about

Griffin Dunne’s years-in-the-making documentary portrait of his aunt Joan Didion moves with the spirit of her uncannily lucid writing: the film simultaneously expands and zeroes in, covering a vast stretch of turbulent cultural history with elegance and candor.

The take

The Centre Will Not Hold explores the life of the famous Joan Didion – professional observer and cultural spectator. The film gives only a small window into the complexity of her mind and the space in which she processes and understands the world, which stems from her capacity to sit above everything that is happening around her and just observe. From writing for Vogue, to war journalism, to her famous novels – from watching a child do acid, to reporting on the first gulf war – Didion is as prolific as she is insightful and majestic in her writing. Throughout the documentary she gives her first hand perspectives on love, relationships, motherhood, and grief – beautifully articulating it as “a place we do not know unless we’ve been there.” A beautiful woman, and an incredible film.

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Comments

Really enjoyed it, wish I knew more of the historical context and her work but it gave a great overview of both.

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