Review of Howl (2010) by Eric A — 30 Sep 2010

An immensely inspiring docu-biopic, Friedman and Epstein make a wise decision in letting poem and poet speak for themselves (well, except for the animated visualization of Ginsberg's words that runs throughout, which require so such thing). The script is almost entirely drawn from documentary materials such as interviews, court transcripts, etc. - a beatific Franco narrates bittersweet re-enactments of Ginsberg's early adulthood while a murderer's row of reliable acting talents (Hamm, Strathairn, Daniels, Balaban, I could go on) nails the courtroom scenes, which are the closest thing the film has to a conventional narrative.

But "Howl" is obviously not a film about conventionality or convenience. It's about how the triumph of the Beats is not the stories they told but the candor with which they told them. And it is about the limits of self-expression and the forces that try to impose them, both internal and external - Ginsberg's story shows us that the former can be far more discouraging than the latter, and more satisfying to transcend.