A very well made documentary. The film, directed by his daughters Emily and Sarah Kunstler, dives into the history of the polarizing social lawyer. It touches on his work in the Civil Rights movement, the Chicago riot trial, Attica, and Wounded Knee.
I was shocked to see how well the archival footage held up. The film moves seamlessly through images of Kunstler, video of him speaking, interviews from those who knew him and celebrities alike (Phil Donahue? What?) and even the occasional courtroom sketch.
It was excellent at showcasing his flaws and triumphs without moving too far in a radical direction. Because his daughters filmed the movie, it was evident in the production that some interviews may have been held back, but I really applaud them in getting candid and real responses.
I also enjoyed the fact that they did not shy away from the fact that they were critical and did not understand everything about their father. The cat trial was epic.
A good film. If you didn’t get a chance to make it out, see it.
Some quotes from the Q/A with Emily Kunstler via dedicated phone call from NY:
On making the film
“The most challenging part of making this film was then decision to make it… We had a responsibility to make it and we deserved to make it…I would like to think that we are both better for it, our family is better for it, and it has brought him back into our lives in a positive way.”
On the amount of content
“There were so many stories, we could have made a mini-series. It was really hard to cut it down to an hour and a half documentary…We really could have made a three hour movie. Maybe one day we will.”
On Kunstler’s possible reaction to the film:
“He was his favorite subject so I think in that respect he would have really like a film on him. I think he would have been really proud that we looked up to him as a source of inspiration and spent many years getting to know him as well…It gave us an answer and a relationship with him that we wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.”
More work coming tomorrow as I watch Valentino: The Last Emperor at Delta and D Tour (hopefully)
All these photos were taken by Sara Sharp.
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