The Giverny Document (2019) Camden International Film Festival 2019

THE GIVERNY DOCUMENT is an essay/poem/documentary about the state of the lives of black women. A mixture of experimental filmmaking, interview footage, a performance by Nina Simone, as well as documentary reporting it is a film that is a very personal one for director Ja'Tovia M. Gary. It is a one of a kind cinema experience.

As a white male I am not even going to attempt to say anything about this film other than I liked  it. While I am not certain that the styles and pieces all connected up for me, I will say that I loved the headspace they create and the chains of thoughts they created. There is a great power in the marriage of word and image and they take you out of where you are and place you into a place where you can consider the ideas and revelations that Ms Gary is throwing at us. The truths of the lives of the women in Harlem and the patter of Ms Simone moved me.

One of the most thoughtful films playing at the Camden international Film Festival, THE GIVERNY DOCUMENT is highly recommended.