All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a 2022 American biographical documentary film about photographer, artist, and activist Nan Goldin. The film is produced, co-edited and directed by Laura Poitras,[3] and tackles Goldin's life through her advocacy during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's, and her fight against the Sackler family for their role in the current opioid epidemic in the United States.[4] Poitras, a long-time friend and fan, stated that "Nan's art and vision has inspired my work for years, and has influenced generations of filmmakers."[5]
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed | |
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Directed by | Laura Poitras |
Produced by |
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Starring | Nan Goldin |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | Amy Foote Joe Bini Brian A. Kates |
Music by | Soundwalk Collective Dawn Sutter Madell |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Neon |
Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.7 million[1][2] |
The film premiered on September 3, 2022, at the 79th Venice International Film Festival,[6] where it was awarded the Golden Lion, making it the second documentary (following Sacro GRA in 2013) to win the top prize at Venice. It also screened at the 2022 New York Film Festival,[4] where it was the festival's centerpiece film and for which Goldin designed two official posters.[7][8]
The film was received with critical acclaim, and was released in cinemas by Neon on November 23, 2022. At the 95th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature.[9][10] The film then went on to win a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony for "capturing the zeal of an artist eager to use her work to create a new vision for and of the world."[11]
Synopsis
editThe film examines the life and career of photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her efforts to hold Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, accountable for the opioid epidemic. Goldin, a well known photographer whose work often documented the LGBT subcultures and the HIV/AIDS crisis, founded the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) in 2017 after her addiction to Oxycontin, and near fatal overdose of fentanyl. P.A.I.N. specifically targets museums and other arts institutions to hold the art community accountable for its collaboration with the Sackler family and its well publicized financial support of the arts. Since P.A.I.N.'s activities most of the targeted museums have severed all ties with the Sackler family and in 2021 Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy.
The film is structured in seven chapters, each of which begins with a photographic sequence or archival footage of a period of Goldin's life and then transitions to footage of her recent protests with P.A.I.N. The slideshow of archival photographs is reminiscent of Goldin's work creating slideshows or series of photographs, such as The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. Footage of P.A.I.N. demonstrations include its first 2018 protest at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur as well as similar demonstrations at the Louvre and the Guggenheim Museum. Goldin is the primary narrator of the film, with additional interviews from associates such as journalist Patrick Radden Keefe and P.A.I.N. member Megan Kapler.
Cast
edit- Nan Goldin
- Patrick Radden Keefe
- Megan Kapler
- John Waters (archive footage)
- Cookie Mueller (archive footage)
- David Wojnarowicz (archive footage)
Production
editGoldin and two other activists had been filming their activities with P.A.I.N. for two years, intending to make a documentary about the activist group. Goldin then approached the film's production company about turning the footage into a film, and Laura Poitras was suggested to Goldin to direct the film, based on Poitras's work on Astro Noise for the Whitney Museum. Goldin was initially skeptical because of Poitras' previous political films, saying "I thought I was not going to be interesting to her because I don't have any state secrets."[12]
Goldin has stated that most of the film's footage and photographs come directly from her. Poitras expanded on Goldin's vision for the project, and chose to make a more well-rounded film about Goldin's life and career. These biographical elements include the suicide of Goldin's sister, Goldin's drug use and her sex work activities, which she had never previously publicized, as well as her art career and achievements. Goldin initially felt uncomfortable with allowing Poitras to control the film and the depiction of her life, but was happy with the finished film. Goldin said that Poitras was "telling my story in my voice, but it's not exactly my version as I would tell it. But she's been amazing into letting me have a lot of input into what's used and not used."[12]
Release
editThe film premiered on September 3, 2022, at the 79th Venice International Film Festival,[6] where it was awarded the Golden Lion.[13] It screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9. Shortly afterwards Poitras criticized both the Venice and Toronto festivals for screening a film produced by Hillary Clinton, In Her Hands. Poitras stated that she was "alarmed" by Clinton's presence at the festivals, adding "Hillary Clinton was actively involved in the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. She supported the escalation of troops."[14] It also screened at the 2022 New York Film Festival,[4] where it was the festival's centerpiece film.[15]
In August 2022, before its Venice premiere, Neon acquired the US distribution rights for the movie while the UK and Ireland rights were taken by Altitude Film Distribution.[5][16] In September 2022, HBO Documentary Films acquired television and streaming rights to the film.[17] The film was released in theaters by Neon on November 23, 2022.[18] The film coincides with This Will Not End Well, a retrospective of Goldin's work at Stockholm's Moderna Museet which opened October 29, 2022.[5]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 145 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a bone-deep look at a photographer's fight against addiction and the institution responsible for her pain through her gritty lens."[19] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 34 critics, the film received "universal acclaim".[20]
Godfrey Cheshire praised the film for being equally Poitras' and Goldin's work, stating that "there's effectively no conceptual distance between the auteur documentarian and her artist subject...the result of their sympathetic engagement is a collaboration of rare beauty and power."[15]
On December 21, 2022, the film was shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It was ultimately nominated in the category. The film won a Peabody Award for "capturing the zeal of an artist eager to use her work to create a new vision for and of the world" at the 84th ceremony on June 9, 2024.[11]
Accolades
editReferences
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- ^ "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Brent (August 4, 2022). "Laura Poitras' All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Tapped as New York Film Festival Centerpiece Selection". Variety.
- ^ a b c Sutton, Benjamin (August 5, 2022). "Laura Poitras documentary on Nan Goldin's campaign against the Sacklers to show at New York Film Festival". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events.
- ^ a b c Kilkenny, Katie (August 18, 2022). "Neon Acquires Laura Poitras Doc All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Biennale Cinema 2022 | All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". La Biennale di Venezia. July 20, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2022). "New York Film Festival Selects Laura Poitras Documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed As Centerpiece". Deadline. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "60th New York Film Festival Posters by Nan Goldin Unveiled". Film at Lincoln Center. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ 2023|Oscars.org
- ^ 'Navalny' Wins Best Documentary Feature Film | 95th Oscars (2023)
- ^ a b c https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed/
- ^ a b Cascone, Sarah (September 14, 2022). "Nan Goldin on Handing Over the Camera to Laura Poitras for a Golden Lion-Winning Documentary About Her Life". Art World. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Foreman, Alison (September 10, 2022). "'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' wins Golden Lion at Venice: All the Winners". Deadline. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (September 13, 2022). "Oscar Winner Laura Poitras Bashes Toronto, Venice For Programming Hillary Clinton Docs, Accuses Festivals Of "Kind Of Whitewashing" Clinton's Record". Deadline. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Cheshire, Godfrey (October 9, 2022). "NYFF 2022: No Bears, R.M.N., All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". rogerebert.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (August 22, 2022). "Altitude Boards International Sales, UK & Ireland Rights For Laura Poitras' Nan Goldin Doc 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (September 8, 2022). "HBO Documentary Films Acquires Laura Poitras Oscar Contender 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed' Ahead Of TIFF North American Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Chapman, Wilson (October 13, 2022). "'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' Trailer: Laura Poitras Tracks Nan Goldin's Takedown of the Sacklers". IndieWire. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "Venice Film Festival Winners: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Top Acting Prizes – Updating Live". Deadline Hollywood. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Goldstein, Gregg (September 1, 2022). "'Tár' Leads Large Pack of Venice Pics in Race for Queer Lion". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "COLLATERAL AWARDS OF THE 79TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL". labiennale.org. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "28th Athens International Film Festival: Stranger than Fiction International Documentaries Competition Awards". en.aiff.gr. October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "Full programme announced for 66th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ Moye, Clarence (October 31, 2022). "Montclair Film Festival Announces 2022 Award Winners". Awards Daily. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
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