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Haskell Wexler (left) &
son Mark
Photo: THINKFilm

TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE
Directed & Produced by: Mark S. Wexler.
Director of Photography: Mark S. Wexler & Sarah Levy.
Edited by: Robert DeMaio.
Music by: Blake Leyh.
Released by: THINKFilm.
Country of Origin: USA. 95 min. Rated R.

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
May 20, 2005

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