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Derek

Play trailer Poster for Derek 2008 1h 16m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Filmmaker Isaac Julien looks back on the life and work of filmmaker and artist Derek Jarman. Julien examines the work of Jarman, showing how his films such as "Jubilee" and his radical adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" continue to influence and resonate with future generations. Both archival and newly recorded interviews are used to shine a light on the professional and private life of Jarman, who died in 1994 from AIDS-related complications.

Critics Reviews

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Michael Esposito Chicago Tribune 10/18/2008
3/4
They're interesting tales lovingly rendered. Go to Full Review
Stephen Holden New York Times 06/13/2008
3/5
This fragmentary portrait of the British filmmaker, painter, set designer and writer Derek Jarman, is a cinematic scrapbook of the life and times of an iconoclast, aesthete and provocateur. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce Slant Magazine 06/09/2008
2.5/4
An earnest ode to an outlaw artist, Derek lovingly but unadventurously documents the life and art of the late British filmmaker Derek Jarman. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 01/27/2014
B+
Brilliantly serves as a touristy tour into the gay and avant-garde world of Brit cinema. Go to Full Review
Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall 07/14/2010
3.5/5
Strikes a moody and atmospheric tone that's perfectly suited to Swinton's somnolent voiceover. And a wealth of imagery makes it worth seeking out Go to Full Review
Armond White New York Press 06/11/2008
In Derek, Isaac Julien evokes the graphically complex style of Derek Jarman's radical filmmaking to commemorate the tensions and tangled ambitions of a modern, politically aware gay artist. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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01/09/2014 Good tribute, I'm sure, but a bit slow and artsy for anyone unfamiliar with the subject. See more 06/13/2011 a stunning portrait and tribute to one of my favourite people in the world. well done tilda and isaac! See more 05/03/2011 If you're an artist, musician, et al, see this. Changed my life. No joke. :) See more 06/15/2010 Very interesting person. I had no idea about this guy, Just grabbed the movie at the library and was into it. Very interesting life. Just amazing tales to tell and what he went and lived through and his art and work. I had no idea. See more 06/07/2010 Om du er interesert å vite litt mere om britisk underground filmskaper and all time wonderboy Derek Jarman, er dette filmen for deg,om ikke ,spis en is istendenfor! See more 05/09/2010 What makes this documentary valuable is the amount of love that has gone into it. It's not terribly . . . I don't know, innovative or thorough, but what is has to offer is tender and unsentimental. See more Read all reviews
Derek

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Isaac Julien looks back on the life and work of filmmaker and artist Derek Jarman. Julien examines the work of Jarman, showing how his films such as "Jubilee" and his radical adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" continue to influence and resonate with future generations. Both archival and newly recorded interviews are used to shine a light on the professional and private life of Jarman, who died in 1994 from AIDS-related complications.
Director
Isaac Julien
Producer
Colin MacCabe, Eliza Mellor
Screenwriter
Tilda Swinton
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 2, 2008
Runtime
1h 16m