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Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago

Play trailer Poster for Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago 2020 1h 15m Documentary Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Barry Gifford is one of America's greatest storytellers. His work includes the novel Wild at Heart, which was adapted by David Lynch into a Palme d'Or-winning film, and dozens of other screenplays, novels and books of poetry and essays. In a series of autobiographical stories spanning more than forty years he has chronicled the adventures of Roy, a boy coming of age largely on the gritty streets of 1950s Chicago. In Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago, excerpts from the Roy stories performed by Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, and Lili Taylor are interwoven with Gifford's recollections of his childhood. Fusing vintage footage and photographs of Chicago with animated sequences and an evocative jazz score by Jason Adasiewicz, Roy's World presents an impressionistic portrait of a vanished world.
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Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago

Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Screen International 03/17/2020
Adding to the grungy, down-at-heel glamour of the visuals is a terrific jazz score, heavy on sleazy brass and vibraphone. Go to Full Review
Ray Pride Newcity 08/16/2022
9/10
A nimble complex of the Chicago childhood of the author who collaborated with David Lynch... a topography of dreams, a dream of topography, a document of impressionistic finery that matches vintage footage to Gifford’s own words of youth. Go to Full Review
Jim Laczkowski Director's Club 11/14/2021
4/5
One of the year's more strikingly original documentaries especially for fans of Gifford and the city of Chicago itself. An impressionistic, dreamlike time capsule that keeps you mesmerized from beginning to end. Go to Full Review
Jared Mobarak Jaredmobarak.com 10/15/2021
7/10
We get a nice overview of [Chicago] through Gifford's eyes and imagination as well as Christopher's research matching artifacts to words. Go to Full Review
Kelly Vance East Bay Express 10/12/2020
A gratifyingly candid portrait of the artist. Go to Full Review
Peter Sobczynski eFilmCritic.com 09/03/2020
For fans of Gifford, Roy's World is a no-brainer, but even those who are unfamiliar with his work are likely to find it compelling viewing. Go to Full Review
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Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago

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Movie Info

Synopsis Barry Gifford is one of America's greatest storytellers. His work includes the novel Wild at Heart, which was adapted by David Lynch into a Palme d'Or-winning film, and dozens of other screenplays, novels and books of poetry and essays. In a series of autobiographical stories spanning more than forty years he has chronicled the adventures of Roy, a boy coming of age largely on the gritty streets of 1950s Chicago. In Roy's World: Barry Gifford's Chicago, excerpts from the Roy stories performed by Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, and Lili Taylor are interwoven with Gifford's recollections of his childhood. Fusing vintage footage and photographs of Chicago with animated sequences and an evocative jazz score by Jason Adasiewicz, Roy's World presents an impressionistic portrait of a vanished world.
Director
Rob Christopher
Producer
Rob Christopher
Screenwriter
Barry Gifford, Rob Christopher
Genre
Documentary, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 15m
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