Writer/director Rob Garver’s documentary What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a fascinating look at a woman who carved out a life as a writer in an industry that has been famously unforgiving for opinions offered by female voices. Kael built a career as a movie critic in a very important time in cinema, right when the studio system was breaking down, and helped make names for a number of maverick directors of the 70s, most notably Arthur Penn director of 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde. A single mother who struggled to create a place for herself and survive on meager pay, she has been both loved and hated by fellow writers, film historians, and creatives inside the film industry, often for the same reasons. She was mouthy, opinionated, and passionate, and she didn’t mind saying exactly what she thought, no matter the consequences. Much like the way many people feel about women like politicians Hillary Clinton or, more recently, Elizabeth Warren, It’s hard to quantify how many hated Kael for her opinions themselves, or for the fact that she dared express them, or have them at all.
Read the full review on AWFJ.org HERE.
