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Tell Them Who You Are

Play trailer Poster for Tell Them Who You Are R Released May 13, 2005 1h 33m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Haskell Wexler has proven to be a prolific and distinguished cinematographer, having shot more than 60 films in his storied career and winning Oscars for his work on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Bound for Glory." He's been an inspiration to many aspiring filmmakers, including his son, Mark Wexler, a documentarian whose films often focus on himself. Here, Mark concentrates on his acclaimed but enigmatic father, hoping to connect with him while establishing an identity of his own.
Tell Them Who You Are

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Critics Consensus

The dysfunctional interaction between director and subject is fascinating, poignant, and revealing of both men and of father-son relationships in general.

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Critics Reviews

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Christy Lemire Associated Press It works as a portrait of a father-son relationship that's awkward, volatile, uneven and always painfully real. Mar 6, 2007 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine A desperately sad look at two men whose determination to rebel against their heritage and succeed in their artform has rendered them unable to communicate. Compelling stuff, though. Rated: 3/5 Jun 2, 2006 Full Review Matthew Leyland BBC.com With dad calling junior's filmmaking skills into question at every turn, this is a fascinating blend of fact and friction. Rated: 4/5 May 30, 2006 Full Review Robert Davis Paste Magazine Tell Them Who You Are radiates dignity, the unusual warmth given off by the frustration of trying to know someone. Rated: 4/5 Jun 5, 2008 Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts It's a remarkable documentary, thoroughly enjoyable and one of the most powerful films I've seen in quite some time. Rated: A Jun 21, 2007 Full Review Robert W. Butler Kansas City Star In the end this is a great movie about a filmmaker. It's also a great movie about fathers and sons. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 28, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Geke g One great movie i ve ever experienced in 5 years Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Great movie that shows the reality and facts about filmmaking as a hobby Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review erdene c Amazing movie must watch it again Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review Bahad j This idea of ​​the film shooting technique director made the film more attractive to people.NC2 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review walter m For the record, I believe that family members should never be involved in recording the life stories of loved ones due to the combination of distance and past closeness which can lead to a skewed perspective and usually involves at least one person with an axe to grind or deep-seated issues. Case in point with the latter is the documentary "Tell Them Who You Are" wherein Mark Wexler attempts to document the career of his father, Haskell, the famed cinematographer. That's the case until Haskell hijacks the proceedings to make it more about him as a person, leaving whatever footage in which would normally be cut and vice versa, as Mark forgets that the first rule of the documentarian is to stay behind the camera as much as humanly possible. Admittedly, there is some great stuff here about "Medium Cool," with a neat anecdote about "Coming Home." And some of Haskell's lesser known movies like "Latino" and "Introduction to the Enemy" definitely sound intriguing. But getting back to those issues, the documentary seeks to portray Haskell as irascible and whose left wing politics which did not stop him from working with Elia Kazan stopped him from accomplishing much more in a career full of accomplishments.(At the age of 87, apparently he is still working.) Personally, any discussion of paternal issues by the participants only serve to make me feel well-adjusted which is quite the accomplishment. Look, I am not saying we should venerate all artists or gloss over their shortcomings. It's just that I don't care. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Fascinating (and unconventional for the subject matter) but hardly the best-made doc. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Tell Them Who You Are

A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. A scene from the film TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE directed by Mark Wexler. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Haskell Wexler has proven to be a prolific and distinguished cinematographer, having shot more than 60 films in his storied career and winning Oscars for his work on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Bound for Glory." He's been an inspiration to many aspiring filmmakers, including his son, Mark Wexler, a documentarian whose films often focus on himself. Here, Mark concentrates on his acclaimed but enigmatic father, hoping to connect with him while establishing an identity of his own.
Director
Mark Wexler
Producer
Mark Wexler
Screenwriter
Mark Wexler, Robert DeMaio
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Wexler's World
Rating
R (Language|Some Sexual Images)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 13, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 10, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$38.6K
Runtime
1h 33m