"Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir" (2021 release; 101min.) is a documentary about the life and times of "The Joy Luck Club" author. As the movie opens, Ms. Tan is introduced at the Lesher Speaker Series to give a talk about her life experiences. We then go back in time as we are introduced to Amy's parents, who arrived separately in California in the late 1940s to escape the chaos in China. Amy retells how her mother, not the easiest person in the world, would install a common sense about her Chinese heritage. But then at age 15, Amy's dad and her oldest brother both died within 6 months of each other due to illness... At this point we are less than 15 min. Into the documentary.
Couple of comments: this is the last documentary from director James Redford (son of Robert), who sadly pass away last Fall at age 58 resulting from cancer. As it turns out, this is one of his better documentaries, taking a close look at Amy Tan's life and times. I must admit, I didn't know much of her before seeing this (I have not read her breakthrough book, 1989's "The Joy Luck Club" not have I seen the 1993 big screen adaptation). In the end, the documentary feels as if it is more about a difficult mother-daughter relationship than it is just bout Amy Tan. And her mom's hidden story is revealed, layer after layer, Bottom line: this is a documentary well worth seeking out, regardless of how familiar or not (like I was) with Amy Tan you were beforehand.
"Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir" premiered on PBS this week as part of its ongoing "American Masters" franchise, and it is now available on PBS On Demand and other streaming services. I quite liked it, but of course don't take my word for it, so I encourage you to check this out and draw your own conclusion. RIP James Redford.
Couple of comments: this is the last documentary from director James Redford (son of Robert), who sadly pass away last Fall at age 58 resulting from cancer. As it turns out, this is one of his better documentaries, taking a close look at Amy Tan's life and times. I must admit, I didn't know much of her before seeing this (I have not read her breakthrough book, 1989's "The Joy Luck Club" not have I seen the 1993 big screen adaptation). In the end, the documentary feels as if it is more about a difficult mother-daughter relationship than it is just bout Amy Tan. And her mom's hidden story is revealed, layer after layer, Bottom line: this is a documentary well worth seeking out, regardless of how familiar or not (like I was) with Amy Tan you were beforehand.
"Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir" premiered on PBS this week as part of its ongoing "American Masters" franchise, and it is now available on PBS On Demand and other streaming services. I quite liked it, but of course don't take my word for it, so I encourage you to check this out and draw your own conclusion. RIP James Redford.