DIFF FILMS

FOR THE YEAR 2010

LENNONNYC

U.S.A. / 2010 / English dialogue with Other subtitles / Colour and Black & White / DigiBeta / 115 mins

Genre: Documentary, Musical, Experimental

Cast & Credits

Director: Michael Epstein
Producer: Jessica Levin, Michael Epstein, Susan Lacy
Scriptwriter: Michael Epstein
Cinematographer: Michael Chin
Editor: Deborah Peretz, Ed Barteski

Synopsis

'LennonNYC', sees acclaimed documentary maker Michael Epstein crafting a fabulously-detailed, intelligent and insightful account of the late Beatle's 8 year residency in the United States. Drawing on a wealth of interviews with key contemporaries, friends, colleagues and family, Epstein's film gets closer to the unvarnished, true essence of John Lennon than any previous film by simply focusing on the very human, flawed, helplessly honest man behind the decades of accreted mythology. From his fervid embrace of radical politics in early 70s Manhattan, the LA-exiled, washed-up, alcoholic mess at mid-decade, to his final years of domestic 'house husband' bliss raising son Sean in New York, the story is recounted through a variety of perspectives and exciting film footage, much of it previously unseen. That footage, and overall endorsement for the project came from Yoko Ono, yet 'LennonNYC' is no hagiographic whitewash. Rather, by contextualising Lennon within his adopted home city and exploring the turbulent dramas that propelled him towards his tragic end in December 1980, Epstein's film is a fresh and enthralling new take on the life of a cultural legend.

Contains: Adult Themes and References 12+