Austin filmmaker and Mobile native Margaret Brown, whose dad is local musician Milton Brown, has done a fairly interesting job with a less-than-interesting subject in her documentary “Be Here to Love Me,” the story of relatively unknown singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Other than some amusingly preposterous medical claims – Van Zandt informs us he was once “dead on arrival” for two hours before being revived by a punch from a doctor – his story is a fairly standard tale of a short life of drug abuse and gluing his teeth together in an ill-advised glue-huffing incident. The usual fare.
Brown tells her story through interviews with the Van Zandt compatriots who have managed to stay alive. They regale us with stories of the bad old days in the ‘60s and ‘70s, beginning with Townes’ novel idea to leave his wife and get drunk and write songs full time. Never achieving lasting success as a recording artist, he is nevertheless responsible for writing such famous songs as “Pancho & Lefty,” a number one hit when recorded by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.
Much more interesting to me were the interviews with Van Zandt’s family as they discussed his life’s difficulties. He received electroshock therapy after deliberately falling four stories, and family members claim the experience erased his childhood from his mind. His family lore is a richer topic for the film. The obvious pain his own children felt at his irresponsibility gave the film its only moving moments.
The subplot in a documentary like this is what people betray and reveal as they share their stories about the subject of the film. Van Zandt’s oldest son ruefully describes how everything they ate growing up was purchased from a gas station while his younger kids from a later marriage still revere him. The most important footage for me was of his youngest daughter singing softly and off key along with a recording of his music. While his rock-and-roll life makes for more exciting viewing, it was his legend as a father that resonated.
“Be Here to Love Me” is currently available to rent.
“Winter Passing” is a fictional story that deals with many of those same elements – the emotional fallout of lives lived for arts’ sake above family life. Zooey Deschanel is a young woman estranged from her brilliant writer parents. After her mother’s death, she is offered a large sum of money to publish her parents’ letters, which were bequeathed to her. When she travels back home to visit her father (Ed Harris), she learns about him and herself, but in a refreshingly subdued and non-corny way.
Another refreshing element is Will Ferrell. And I never thought I’d say that, but he is pretty good as one of two somewhat random young people bunking in Ed Harris’ house. He is a failed Christian rock musician joined by one of Harris’ former students in caring for and generally worshipping Harris.
Through well-written, episodic character explorations, this lovely indie follows Deschanel’s discovery of some hard facts about her parents’ life, including her mother’s death. Her bitterness dissolves as she understands them further and develops friendships with the young people living in her father’s house. Deschanel is a very appealing actress and her performance is the core of this film. She is wry and vulnerable at the same time.
Meanwhile, Ed Harris successfully fulfills the cinematic requirement of all writers or other creative eccentrics- he has long, wild hair. That’s how you can tell he’s talented. Otherwise, however, “Winter Passing” is well-written and honest and free of those kinds of clichés. Peopled by interesting and believable characters, it is the kind of unheard-of little movie that is worth checking out.
“Winter Passing” is currently available to rent.
Contact Asia Frey at afrey@lagniappemobile.com.
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