Spalding Gray Brought Back to Life in New Documentary

It only just came to my attention recently, but there is a new documentary being released about the late actor/monologist Spalding Gray. It is called "And Everything Is Going Fine" and is directed by Steven Soderbergh who had previously directed the actor in "Gray's Anatomy" (based on one of his monologues) and "King Of The Hill." Having been a fan of Spalding's over the years and being lucky enough to see him in person performing "It's A Slippery Slope," I was ever so eager to learn more about this new film I had not heard of previously. His death by suicide in 2004 was not really a surprise given the depth of his material and what his own mother went through, but it was still very sad all the same. Still, the legacy of his work remains, and this documentary represents what Spalding's widow Kathy Russo calls "one last monologue."

"It's a new monologue in a way. It's just him. There's footage from throughout his life, but he's the only voice in it. I didn't interview anybody or get any new footage. So once I decided that's what we were going to do, we were able to focus on it. It doesn't feel like a normal documentary."

-Steven Soderbergh quoted in an article from the Slash Film website.

Soderbergh sifted through 120 hours of footage that included performances, personal interviews, and home videos from his own life. Some of it includes his thoughts on his "sexual experimentation," and also features footage shot by documentarian Barbara Kopple following the devastating car accident in 2001 that left him with a broken hip and a damaged brain. We even him get to hear about how his family provided him with the happiest years of his life.

"That gives me amazing gratification," Ms. Russo said in an article from the Wall Street Journal. "That I was able to help him reach that in his lifetime with the kids and create this family with him that gave him so much joy. But then it was also sad. Damn it, it was only five years; you could have had more had you not gotten sick."

"And Everything Is Going Fine" actually marks the first documentary that Steven Soderbergh has ever made, and yet he feels like the perfect choice to be helming it. Aside from filming two movies with Spalding, Soderbergh had been a big fan of his work and felt bad that he was not there for Spalding when he was sick with despair. Kathy has said that Steven felt like he needed to do this to "somehow make up for his absence."

This documentary has actually been "long in the works" according to Variety's review of it. Also, it was made with the close involvement of Kathy Russo, who had "thoroughly archived" all the old home movies and performance videos that Spalding left behind. In addition, his musician son Forrest provides an electric score for the documentary which the IFC website has described as "soaring."

Over the years, Mrs. Russo has been involved in a series of Gray-related projects that celebrate his life and work. This includes the University of Texas' production of "Stories Left To Tell" which she created along with performer Lucy Sexton. Based on material from many of Gray's journals, the show is set to begin a European tour. Kathy has described all this work she has done as part of her healing process, and with it now coming to an end, she looks forward to doing something for herself.

"And Everything Is Going Fine" is being released by IFC Films and will arrive in select theaters on December 10^th. On December 22^nd, it will be available on demand, and you can find it in by looking for "IFC In Theaters" from your cable provider. Incidentally, the title of this documentary (according to a review from NPR) comes from a phrase that appeared in one of Gray's monologues. In relating the story of what happened after his mother's suicide, Spalding described his dad as attempting to create a "perfect new life" with another woman. Spalding's storytelling skills cut through the façade of his dad's new view of life, and the title represents his denial that nothing is wrong when we all sense that nothing is right. Sadly, this denial would haunt Spalding for the rest of his life.

Sources:

"Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Documentary, And Everything Is Going Fine, to Premiere at Slamdance 2010," Devindra Hardawar, Slash Film website, December 9, 2009.

"Spalding Gray's Farewell Performance," Steve Dollar, The Wall Street Journal website, December 8, 2010.

"Variety Reviews - And Everything Is Going Fine," Rob Nelson, Variety.com, January 24, 2010.

"And Everything Is Going Fine" page, IFC.com

Movie Review - "Everything Is Going Fine: The Life of Spalding Gray," Ian Buckwalter, NPR.org, December 9, 2010.