Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, December 8: REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG
Nancy Kates’ exploration of the noted writer made its bow at Tribeca, where it picked up a special jury prize. Other fest screenings have included Seattle, Sheffield, Vancouver, San Francisco Jewish, Frameline, Outfest, Inside Out, Provincetown, IDFA, Doku.arts, and the United Nations Association Film Festival.
Recalling a foregone era in American culture when a critical writer was far more easily able to attain widespread, mainstream fame, Kates recounts the complex personal and professional history of Susan Sontag, the author of such seminal works as “Notes on ‘Camp,'” AGAINST INTERPRETATION, and ON PHOTOGRAPHY. Deftly balancing biographical elements with excerpts from her output of writing, filmmaking, and media appearances, the film crafts a compelling, sometimes contradictory portrait that remains respectful without descending to the hagiographic. As noted in her own words – voiced here by Patricia Clarkson – Sontag’s curious relationship to her own sexuality informed her writing, and though she maintained an air of privacy around her lesbian affairs in public, they form a significant, and sometimes surprising, portion of the film, with several former lovers interviewed here or appearing in archival footage. On the professional side, Kates examines not only the work which drew her acclaim, such as those indicated above, but also less successful efforts, such as her first novel, the derided experimental THE BENEFACTOR, and her lambasted first film, DUET FOR CANNIBALS. Despite Sontag’s late-in-life feelings of dissatisfaction and failure in her career, Kates’ film serves as a potent reminder that the writer was once celebrated in our culture as a polymath, proudly intellectual and a contributor to an enriching and enlightening discourse around a wide-range of interests.
what (not) to doc 