Hal

AroView: An in-depth look at the life and work of Hal Ashby, one of the most admired American directors of the 1970s, whose legacy includes Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, Bound for Glory, Coming Home, and Being There, but whose obsessive and uncompromising nature led to his downfall. This excellent documentary explores the complex balance of art and commerce, the passions that drive an artist to create, and what this one artist was willing to sacrifice for his work.

On camera interviews include actors Lee Grant, Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Louis Gossett Jr, and Jeff Bridges, contemporary directors like Alexander Payne, Judd Apatow, Lisa Cholodenko, and David O. Russell, and colleagues like his mentor Norman Jewison, Robert Towne, Haskell Wexler, and Pablo Ferro.

“Digging deep into the archives for rare and revealing material to accompany interviews with many of his collaborators and intimates, filmmaker Amy Scott packs a lot into 90 minutes with this insightful and warm look at an artist whose best work always revealed a heightened social conscience.” ~Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter