Direction: Laura Poitras
Country: USA
From the awarded documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour, 2014; The Oath, 2010), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed examines the life, career and activism of American photographer Nan Goldin. The artist has spent the last few years chasing the Sackler family, the ones responsible for the opioid crisis that decimated thousands of lives across the world.
Goldin opens up about her difficult childhood, the trauma that came with the suicide of her older sister, her complex relationships, her work, her addictions, and her disapproval of the Sacklers, whom she confronted in court. Her continued activism forced several museums to reject their donations and remove their names from the galleries.
The most revealing moment is when Goldin states how she officially entered the art world. Her personal work notably focuses on LGBT communities and related topics such as nightlife, Lower East Side parties in the 1980s, and AIDS - a condition that victimized many of her friends. All these are logically linked to her personal life. As the photographer ponders about the difference between telling stories and the real experiences lived, we get to know that she uses photography as as a way to walk through fear.
Poitras orchestrates a well-made, easy to digest documentary that creates a certain contrast by having everything in the right place in opposition to the protagonist’s irreverence. Goldin proves to be a true experimenter and survivor of our world.
