All the Beauty and the Bloodshed a film by Laura Poitras

 

I am not overly familiar with Nan Goldin but my wonderful wife is a fan of her photography and when she heard that this documentary on Nan would be playing at Vegas' new art theater, The Beverly, on a weekend that we had no pressing engagements, no less, we made it a point to check it out.

The Beverly is a brand new theater complex in Downtown Las Vegas, right next door to the Writer's Block, a fab book store where Kid Congo had his book signing a couple of months ago (and we got to spend a few minutes checking out the store and will have to get back there, as it is pretty terrific). The theater is a lovely building, with an upstairs, outdoor patio that had live music after the movie, and a gift shop, concession stand and a nice sized, comfortable showroom. Our understanding is that it is going to be an art theater for Vegas, so we hope to see more here soon.

Goldin helped finance this documentary (apparently) in order to further publicize the Sackler family's production and promotion of OxyContin and the harm that it has caused hundreds and thousands of people. She chose them in particular since their name appears on many major museums around the world and she wants them to be known for the horrors that they have caused, not for their philanthropy.

Intertwined with this tale, though, is Nan's personal journey from her suburban family life with a sister who was sent away and eventually committed suicide due to the fact that she was gay and that was unacceptable in the 1950's and 60's, to her life in Boston and New York in a wild'n'gritty lifestyle. She herself was/is bisexual and had friends in the gay scene (including John Waters, Divine, and Cookie Mueller, among others) and started documenting this culture and the sparse lives that they lived - marginalized, fearful for their lives and their freedom (drag was illegal at the time), partying, taking drugs, surviving by either semi-legal means (dancing/working in bars) or as a sex worker. These were exciting and fun times, but also scary and, at times, life-threatening.

Now, as an acclaimed artist whose work appears in the museums she is targeting, she is using her fame to help spread the word about the opioid crisis, its causes and risks and lies and the people behind it.

At about two hours, the movie is a bit long, but it is not ever boring and it includes some terrific footage from the early days as well as showing the more current protests. 

Highly recommended!