Loving Highsmith

Released Sep 2, 2022

1h 23m

Biography

Documentary

List

72%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

Loving Highsmith is a unique look at the life of celebrated American author Patricia Highsmith based on her diaries and notebooks and the intimate reflections of her lovers, friends and family. Focusing on Highsmith's quest for love and her troubled identity, the film sheds new light on her life and writing. Most of Highsmith's novels were adapted for the big screen; the best known of these are Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Carol, a partly autobiographic novel, was the first lesbian story with a happy ending to be published in 1950s America. But Highsmith herself was forced to lead a double life and had to hide her vibrant love affairs from her family and the public. Only in her unpublished writings did she reflect on her private life. Excerpts from these notes voiced by Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Top of the Lake), beautifully interwoven with archive material of her and her most famous novel adaptions, create a vivid, touching portrait of one of the most fascinating female writers.

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Critics Consensus

Although the picture it presents of the brilliant author's life may be incomplete, Loving Highsmith remains a compelling tribute to a singular talent.

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Stephen Romei

The Australian

What this documentary does is take us into the idiosyncratic mind of the writer...

Rated: 3.5/5

May 8, 2023

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

But it’s the wilful refusal to engage with Highsmith’s long-nurtured bigotry — she famously dismissed the Holocaust as a failure for not murdering enough Jews — that ultimately galls.

Rated: 1/5

Apr 14, 2023

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

The more you already know about Highsmith, the more you will note the omissions but it’s still interesting because she was so interesting.

Apr 13, 2023

Full Review

Helen Hawkins

The Arts Desk

It’s like looking at a jigsaw with every third piece missing.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 18, 2023

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Cleverly augmented with voiceovers from her diary entries, this is an engaging portrait of how Highsmith's love for a series of women fuelled her books.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 18, 2023

Full Review

Xan Brooks

Observer (UK)

A thorough, measured, often illuminating portrait, aided by readings from Highsmith’s unpublished diaries and interviews with her ex-lovers.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 16, 2023

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Mariana R

oh el verdadero sueño es ser amado por unx poeta, bn mágica la estética de la cámara, ya ni sabía de q novia estábamos hablando, pero perdida en la casita del bosque

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

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Eva Vitija

Director

Patricia Highsmith

Self

Gwendoline Christie

Patricia Highsmith

Annina Butterworth

Narrator

Marijane Meaker

Self

Monique Buffet

Self

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Synopsis

Loving Highsmith is a unique look at the life of celebrated American author Patricia Highsmith based on her diaries and notebooks and the intimate reflections of her lovers, friends and family. Focusing on Highsmith's quest for love and her troubled identity, the film sheds new light on her life and writing. Most of Highsmith's novels were adapted for the big screen; the best known of these are Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Carol, a partly autobiographic novel, was the first lesbian story with a happy ending to be published in 1950s America. But Highsmith herself was forced to lead a double life and had to hide her vibrant love affairs from her family and the public. Only in her unpublished writings did she reflect on her private life. Excerpts from these notes voiced by Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Top of the Lake), beautifully interwoven with archive material of her and her most famous novel adaptions, create a vivid, touching portrait of one of the most fascinating female writers.

Director: Eva Vitija
Screenwriter: Eva Vitija
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Genre: Biography, Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 2, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2022
Runtime: 1h 23m