Review of Howl (2010) by Genie K — 09 Nov 2011
Just like the poem Howl, it's all over the place with one single idea that it wants to convey: acceptance and understanding. Ginsberg isn't quite sure about his sexuality at first, it's something that he has to come into and accept.
The court has to come to an understanding that the poem is just Ginsberg's free expression of himself and he has the right to publish his work. The poem... well I've never been good at poetry.
It's hard for me to decipher much about it other than the fact that he wrote it about his friend in the mental hospital who was given shock treatments for being gay (of course, this is just a part of the poem).
Franco puts on a brilliant performance. I might not have known exactly what was going on during the poem, but when he changes the way he talks, the way he holds his face, the way he gets choked up: I got choked up too.
It was strange. I loved the animation for the poem. It might have seemed out of place to some, but it really worked for me. The only thing that I think could have been improved was the editing of the life of Ginsberg with the courtroom with the poem.
Other than that, Howl was a really original and great biopic. Worth watching for any artist who has to go through life finding new ways to express themselves.
This review of Howl (2010) was written by Genie K on 09 Nov 2011.
Howl has generally received positive reviews.
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