By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Barbara Kopple
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 100
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2451742/combined
Chris says: “Mariel Hemingway is an accomplished actress in her own right—she even received an Academy Award nomination while in her teens for Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN. However, before anything else, most people will identify her as Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter and as an unfortunate recipient of a familial history of mental illness that led to the well-publicized suicide of Ernest, her sister Margaux and four other close relations. Now pushing fifty, Hemingway still struggles with her family’s legacy, but seems determined to live with it and not let it destroy her.
“RUNNING FROM CRAZY juxtaposes accounts of Mariel’s past and the dynamics of growing up in such a famous, damaged family with her present attempts at finding peace, engaging in soulful activities both physical (rock climbing) and metaphorical (speaking at anti-suicide rallies). Much like the naturalness she exuded as an actress, Hemingway comes off as immensely likable and genuine, but credit legendary documentarian Barbara Kopple (HARLAN COUNTY USA, SHUT UP AND SING) for digging deep and guiding her subject to be comfortable and remarkably candid in front of the camera. Despite all of the stunning California and Idaho vistas, the film doesn’t feel as cinematic as it should—it was produced for OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s ratings-deficient cable-TV network (an encouraging sign that Winfrey’s attracting talent of Kopple’s caliber, though). While this lacks the fire and purpose of Kopple’s best-known aforementioned works, it’s still an affecting narrative and we can always use more films about a subject often considered too taboo to publicize and examine. 3.5 cats
“(This film screened at the 2013 Provincetown International Film Festival).”
Michael says: “Mariel Hemingway is an interesting person in her own right. Add to that the troubled life of her sister Margot, and the fact that she is the granddaughter of acclaimed writer Ernest, and you’ve got yourself the makings of pretty interesting
documentary. Directed by Barbara Kopple of HARLAN COUNTY, U.S.A., CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS and SHUT UP AND SING fame, you would expect a capable handling of both family and celebrity, and you certainly get that with RUNNING FROM
CRAZY. Mariel makes for an interesting subject, as we follow her life in present day, and also reminisce with her about her
family. Add to that the fact that Margot had been making a documentary about her grandfather back in the 80’s and there is a lot of great footage for Kopple to mine. Ironically, the film suffers slightly from the addition of Margot’s footage, making for a little diffused focus. Yet the theme of mental illness and suicide and Mariel’s fears of the genetic predisposition in her family is
compelling.
“Perhaps the most fascinating part of the film was a glimpse into Mariel’s current relationship with Bobby Williams with whom she works as a lifestyle guide. Williams is shown as a bit of an ass, and a raw argument between the two that was captured on film is both fascinating and disturbing. Mariel emerges from the film as smart and sympathetic, and the viewer learns a lot about the Hemingway family. A little trimming would have probably helped, but all in all, this is a documentary well worth seeing. 4 cats”