Review of The End of the Tour (2015) by Julie G — 17 Jan 2016

Whether you have a cursory familiarity with late author David Foster Wallace or have pored over his books and essays, you should leave The End of the Tour with a deeper understanding and admiration for the postmodern literary hero - and some keen insights into the often dysfunctional and hyper-vigilant brains of all writers.

Director Ponsoldt, who in a former life worked in entertainment journalism, expertly captures the power struggle and anxieties around fame and self-promotion. We see Wallace loving, even craving the attention and detesting it at the same time - all revealed through micro-moments, idle comments and gestures - the way all movies should dispense character revelations; not through dramatic pauses, orchestral swells or gratuitous close-ups.