In this film, people talk about their experiences with Townes Van Zandt. Bit by bit, you get a slow sense of who he was, why he was, and most importantly, how he was in life. Townes was a profoundly injured person, a brilliant poet, a good friend, a bad friend, a drunk, a wanderer, the combination of so many contradictions that made up a basically straightforward person. The questions and confusion that surrounds Townes Van Zandt as a person has little to do with the quality of who he was, only how he lived. I grew up around my uncle, a man of similar mental history and makeup as Van Zandt. As much as he could turn your life upside down and cause you pain, there was a natural softness, a kind of charm. The lack of self-awareness just couldn't be helped.
This film is of brilliant construction. Using conversational interviews, footage from the open road, different locations, archive footage, and of course the music of Townes himself, Margaret Brown creates a perfect example of the biographical documentary. Everything flows through like it should, like it only could. I can't really say any more. There's no flaws in this. You are taken in, you are convinced of whatever you need be, you live in his life. And that's all there is to it.
This film is of brilliant construction. Using conversational interviews, footage from the open road, different locations, archive footage, and of course the music of Townes himself, Margaret Brown creates a perfect example of the biographical documentary. Everything flows through like it should, like it only could. I can't really say any more. There's no flaws in this. You are taken in, you are convinced of whatever you need be, you live in his life. And that's all there is to it.