Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction

Sophie Huber's 2012 documentary is an attempt at a portrait of the actor Harry Dean Stanton. He appeared in more than two hundred films, nearly always in supporting parts, does not like talking about himself and says so plainly on camera. Huber makes that resistance the method of the film: questions go unanswered, silences are not cut, and instead of speaking he sings. American folk songs and Mexican ballads make up its body. Wim Wenders, David Lynch and Kris Kristofferson appear in short sections. The film does not deliver a life story; it records a man refusing to account for himself, which separates it from the usual documentary about an actor. Much of it is shot in black and white. Who it's for: viewers who like documentaries about film and music and films that value silence. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a summary of a career; the documentary does not provide one.