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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE
The filmography of cinematographer Haskell Wexler reads like a greatest hits
compilation of the last half-century: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, In the
Heat of the Night, American Graffiti and many more. His son
Mark has made his career behind the camera as well, directing small-scale documentaries
for television. For his next project, Mark decided to study his father.
The elder Wexler is a worthy subject. Despite being 80 years old,
Mark's caustic father has not mellowed one bit and remains a proud liberal
activist. He even accompanied Jane Fonda to North Vietnam to make the
documentary Introduction to the Enemy (1974). Mark is more conservative and
irritates his father by mentioning President George H. W. Bush, whom he met while shooting a
documentary about Air Force One.
According to one family friend, when a reserved Mark would be too shy to
introduce himself to people he admired, his father would coax him, "Tell them
who you are." Of course what he meant was, "Tell them you're Haskell Wexler's
son." For most of his life, Mark has felt overshadowed by his father and
their relationship has never been smooth.
Haskell agrees to be the subject of Mark's documentary (but won't sign the
release form until he sees the final product) and is more than happy to boss
his son around during the filming. He insists that the documentary can't only be
about his distinguished career; it should say something more profound
about life and family. Clearly Mark has this objective in mind all along.
Tell Them Who You Are is primarily a look at the relationship between
competing father and son and emerges as a more compelling story than any
simple retrospective of Haskell Wexler's work would have been (although his
creative body is explored in lively ways).
The movie feels very welcoming, thanks to the relaxed and unpretentious
style the younger Wexler employs. A small army of Hollywood heavyweights
weigh in his father, including Fonda, George Lucas, Martin Sheen, Billy
Crystal, Julia Roberts, Paul Newman and many more. For all of Tinseltown's
glamour and glitz, family issues are the same no matter where you look. Rob Glidden
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