The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Glasgow Film Festival 2021

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

Glasgow Film Festival 2021: Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation | Review
6 March 2021
Andrew Murray
Avatar
Andrew Murray
6 March 2021

Movie and show review

Andrew Murray

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

★★★★★

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

The words of the immortal writers Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams already speak volumes in themselves, but filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland gives them more poignancy in her newest documentary. Truman & Tennessee provides an intriguing insight into the lives and minds of the eccentric geniuses as it chronicles their turbulent relationship over the best part of 40 years through their own perspectives – even if the title is somewhat misleading.

The French director’s feature does not get off to a good start, however. The opening plays like an in memoriam Powerpoint presentation about the pair. While the voice performances from Jim Parsons as Capote and Zachary Quinto as Williams are striking impersonations, they’re not enough to liven up the sluggishly stiff introduction. Mercifully, this section doesn’t overstay its welcome and the momentum picks up when the title card appears on screen. The American actors’ voiceovers are joined by clips of adaptations of the writers’ notable works (A Streetcar Named Desire, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Baby Doll) and a selection of interviews by Dick Cavett and David Frost in which the subjects lay their souls bare. Vreeland freely plays with this mountain of archive footage, weaving a tapestry of friendship, art, creativity and everything else in between.

There is no shortage of topics covered here. Loneliness, love, homosexuality, addiction, jealousy, sex, success and failure – nothing is off the table and the authors have a lot of profound and fascinating thoughts on each subject. This aspect is both this documentary’s greatest strength and weakness. Its sheer scope gives viewers a broad and introspective insight into the lives of these men. The fact that everything is told from their own words gives the movie an untouchable authenticity that simply wouldn’t exist if it weren’t.

On the other hand, this is a film that isn’t really about any one thing. Its focal point continuously shifts. Likewise, it’s rare that the writers talk about one another and they never actually speak to each other (hence the misleading title). However, the adjective “intimate” is apt. This picture is a compelling examination of Capote and Tennessee, and a fitting tribute to the impact their work continues to leave on our contemporary culture.

★★★★★

Andrew Murray

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Glasgow Film Festival 2021 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Glasgow Film Festival website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Glasgow

Valentina

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Kiss Me Before It Blows Up

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Tove

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

Well Rounded

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Dramarama

★★★★★
Emma Kiely
Read More

Rūrangi

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Rebel Dykes

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Firebird

★★★★★
Emma Kiely
Read More

A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces: An interview with filmmaker Shengze Zhu

Selina Sondermann
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Andrew Murray

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

★★★★★

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Shake Shack launches limited edition Vegan Crispy Shallot Burger in partnership with chef Neil Rankin
    Food & Drinks
  • Celebrate the EE BAFTAs this Sunday with Claude Bosi’s free virtual dining experience
    Food & Drinks
  • Ben Howard: Global Transmission from Goonhilly Earth Station live stream
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Final Days
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Barker-Turner Overdrive: An Evening of Duets at the Tunbridge Wells Forum Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The best takeaway pizzas in London
    Food & Drinks
  • My Love: Six Stories of True love
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • The Year Earth Changed
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Doppler: Grid Iron theatre company document the story so far
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Disenchanted Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The best takeaway pizzas in London
    Food & Drinks
  • The Year Earth Changed
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Playfight at Finborough Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Power
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Godzilla vs Kong: A colossal brawl that magnificently delivers what we tuned in to see
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Glasgow Film Festival 2021: Vicious Fun | Review
Glasgow Film Festival 2021: A Brixton Tale | Review