Some years ago I criticized Michael Caplan’s documentary ode to Nelson Algren as the cinematic equivalent of a pop tart. Now that I’ve had another look at it I see that I was very wrong. As Algren’s friend during the last years of his life, I was motivated to defend him against what I thought he would have disapproved of — epic praise that comes too late and an overdrawn emphasis on his love affair with Simone de Beauvoir. Seeing the film again, I was touched by it. Caplan re-edited the version I saw, but I don’t think that’s what made the difference. Have a look for yourself. It’s available to stream via Kanopy — free of charge — if you have a library card from a participating library or university affiliation. You can also rent it for a small fee or purchase it on Vimeo and Prime Video.
