Regarding Susan Sontag

I saw this film at the SF Gay Film Festival 2014.

This documentary has inspired me to read more of Susan Sontag's writings. I had read a couple of her early works years ago and had not realized how much more she wrote.

The film does a beautiful job of unfolding her life story and interweaving the subjects of her writings and work as an activist. It was an intriguing tale with gorgeous photographs and lots of great interviews with family members, friends, and lovers. By the end of the film, I felt like I had been given a taste of Susan which lingered on the tongue and wanted more.

She seemed to be one of those intensely private yet public characters who we think we know but actually don't know at all. This was a fascinating portrait of an extremely intelligent woman who lived life on her own terms. She demonstrated what it means to be nonconformist and live with the consequences of actions disapproved by others.

The director is to be commended for achieving the monumental task of finding critical clips of historical archival footage, getting access to and interviews with the important people in her life, and putting the pieces together in a nonjudgmental way that respects the varying perspectives of all the people involved.