Review of Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean (2012) by Boaz J — 03 Jun 2013

Just saw this on my Kindle and really loved it. I don't really agree with any of the reviews or newspaper coverage of this pic -- good or bad. They all miss the point. What this film is really about is the existential loneliness of making art, and that theme is universal and eternal.

At the end of the movie, Dean has loved and left and has his freedom (fame awaits), but he is ultimately alone. Alone to make art, to be great, etc. But alone. And The Roommate (delicately played by Dan Glenn, in my favorite performance), has essentially loved somebody impossible to have.

How many great men (or women) are lonely and ultimately unfulfilled? THAT is the core of this movie. The prettiness of the photography and cast are secondary. A must-see for 2012.