This is the seventh of a series of reviews of movies showing at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival, or NHDocs, which runs through June 9 at the Whitney Humanities Center at Yale, the main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, Cafe Nine, and the State House. Click here for a full schedule of screenings.
Tracy Heather Strain writes and directs Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, an in-depth and deeply affecting portrait of the writer and activist who is best known for the award-winning play and movie A Raisin in the Sun, but who also left her mark as a staunch activist for civil rights throughout her lifetime, until her death at age 34 from cancer. Her story is told in various forms to stunning effect, including footage of Hansberry herself, journal entries and lists she kept, and interviews with colleagues, friends, and family, as well as writers and scholars who give additional perspective on the vast contributions she made during her short life.
The film highlights Hansberry’s private and public struggles, including her childhood, marriage, and illness, but also illuminates with detailed attention how determined she was to speak her truth in a time when that truth was not what most wanted to hear. Her steadfast determination to express herself and refusal to sit aside and watch the inequalities of the time reverberates throughout the film and is a template for those who continue to seek equality and acceptance for all.
The Ballad of Fred Hersch, a film by Charlotte Lagorde and Carrie Lozano, follows the jazz pianist’s musical journey from a four-year-old improvising on the piano after listening to his parent’s records to becoming one of the most revered jazz artists of his time. Musical interludes are interspersed with interviews and intimate looks into his personal and professional lives, including the making of My Coma Dreams, a jazz-theater piece combining music, film, and spoken word inspired by the dreams Hersch experienced while in a medically induced coma for two months in 2008. Much attention is paid to the meticulous detail he puts into his creations as well as the passion of his performances. The viewer is given access to everything, from his handwritten notes to his rehearsals and the eventual premiere performance of My Coma Dreams.
The film also explores the effect of Hersch’s HIV-positive status on his life, both artistically and personally. His drive to create and leave a mark on the world reverberates throughout. Showcasing his unwavering determination as well as his awe-inspiring performances, Hersch and his story will impress upon the viewer the importance of art as a method of self-expression and self-healing.
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart screens June 6 at 9 p.m. in the auditorium of Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. The Ballad of Fred Hersch screens June 6 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St.