Patti Smith: Dream of Life

(Steven Sebring, USA) 109min

Patti Smith, the singer-poet and one-time ‘godmother of punk’, bares her soul in this intimate self-portrait, culled from over 11 years of filming with her friend, the photographer Steve Sebring. Beginning in 1995, the film is not your average music bio with no talking heads waxing lyrical about how influential Smith is here; rather, set to her own hypnotic stream-of-consciousness voiceover, we get something as personal as sneaking a look in someone’s diary as she deals with loss, love and life. Despite all the moping around graves of dead poets, it’s not all glum – note the impromptu jam session with playwright Sam Shepard. But rarely has a film been so indulgent, pretentious and moving all at once.

Filmhouse, Sat 21 Jun, 6.45pm; Sun 22 Jun, 5.15pm, £8 (£6.40).

More: Film, Music, Reviews (Film), Reviews (Music), Edinburgh Festivals, Edinburgh International Film Festival, EIFF, Film Festival, Patti Smith, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, Steve Sebring

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