Some fabulous oldey-timey faves to make you feel less alone.
#1 Grey Gardens, 1975
Directors Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles
Starring Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale
Viewing the hilarious spoof version of Grey Gardens first really set me up to enjoy the original documentary... I was able to see the strange comedy that's present in the original documentary, but really, in any order, the two pieces are a great experience.
The 1975 documentary follows the extraordinarily eerie and secluded lives of Mrs. Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little Edie," aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The eccentric pair spend all of their time in a decaying East Hampton mansion known as "Grey Gardens", accompanied only by their cats, a handyman, and the occasional raccoon.
This movie will suck you in and mesmerize you; it somehow manages to be surreal and disturbing yet simultaneously comedic. It's been analyzed by psychologists and fashionistas alike, and even spawned a Broadway musical of the same title.
Grey Gardens is available to stream with subscription on:
Hulu, The Criterion Channel, FuboTV, Kanopy, Watch TCM
Available to rent on digital platforms
The outfits and dialogue of Grey Gardens are ripe for parody, and the team at Documentary Now! does a fantastic job.
#2 Documentary Now!, 2015
Season 1, Episode 1 "Sandy Passage"
Directors Alexander Buono, Rhys Thomas
Starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader
Documentary Now! is available to stream with subscription on:
Netflix, Youtube TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Philo
Available to rent on digital platforms
#3 Rear Window, 1954
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelley
The hero of Rear Window, one of Hitchcock's greatest films, is trapped in a wheelchair in his New York City apartment, which lends an extra layer of helplessness to his isolation. Jeff Jefferies (James Stewart) has broken his leg, and decides to entertain himself with the slightly dubious New York past-time of spying out his window on his neighbors. The film's narrative centers around the ability to see without being seen, and is enhanced by cinematography that focuses on the use of lights and shadows, what is hidden and what is revealed over the course of witnessing what appears to have been a murder.
The movie was shot on a specially constructed set that included thirty-one apartments, twelve of which were fully furnished, all which were probably bigger than the one that I'm stuck in.
Available to stream with subscription on:
Amazon Starz, DirectTV, FuboTV
Available to rent on digital platforms