Cinephile № 817 “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth”

Recommendation: 3/5 STARS, STREAM

Plot: “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth” encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and an extremely private man, who was unflinching in his commitment to bringing some of the most memorable movies of the last half of the 20th century to the big screen.” -IMDB

Review: For my 10th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I came across a documentary about a man whose movies were well known to me, but a personal story I didn’t fully appreciate. While you may not remember his name, his contributions to the canon of film are staggering. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Klute,” “All the President’s Men,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “Presumed Innocent,” and “The Pelican Brief” are all ground altering pieces of filmmaking that revolutionized the industry and sent it toward telling more honest and direct stories. Yet, like so many talents before and after him, Pakula was taken in his prime during a freak traffic accident. While the beauty of this man’s mind may have left the world too soon, his legacy will withstand the test of time and this documentary is proof.

Alan Pakula’s real talent was his ability to connect with people and find their individual stories. With surgical precision, he could get at the details and force an audience to think more than consume. Alan also did…