Derek (2008)

88% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(240 ratings)

Actress Tilda Swinton collaborates with director Isaac Julien on this richly textured tribute to the late British filmmaker Derek Jarman. In 2002, Swinton penned the text entitled "Letter to an Angel" in memory of her deceased friend and collaborator. In this film, that elegiac piece of writing is… More Actress Tilda Swinton collaborates with director Isaac Julien on this richly textured tribute to the late British filmmaker Derek Jarman. In 2002, Swinton penned the text entitled "Letter to an Angel" in memory of her deceased friend and collaborator. In this film, that elegiac piece of writing is carefully woven with a previously unseen interview with Jarman to create a highly original biography that doesn't rely on talking-head interviews but instead a dreamlike flow of images and observations. Jarman's old family films flicker across the screen as his parents recount his early life and adolescence, and excerpts from the director's films offer insight into the passion of an artist who flouted convention to create a truly unique body of work. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Isaac Julien
Genres: Documentary, Television, Special Interest

On DVD: Sep 2, 2008

Critic Reviews

Michael Esposito, Chicago Tribune
They're interesting tales lovingly rendered.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
This fragmentary portrait of the British filmmaker, painter, set designer and writer Derek Jarman, is a cinematic scrapbook of the life and times of an iconoclast, aesthete and provocateur.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Strikes a moody and atmospheric tone that's perfectly suited to Swinton's somnolent voiceover. And a wealth of imagery makes it worth seeking out
S. James Wegg, JWR
This homage to one of the world's most creative, impassioned artists paints a fascinating portrait of Derek Jarman's life through the filmmaker's most extensive on-camera interview and a letter of retrospection written and read by long-time collaborator a
Armond White, New York Press
In Derek, Isaac Julien evokes the graphically complex style of Derek Jarman's radical filmmaking to commemorate the tensions and tangled ambitions of a modern, politically aware gay artist.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
An earnest ode to an outlaw artist, Derek lovingly but unadventurously documents the life and art of the late British filmmaker Derek Jarman.
Melissa Anderson, Time Out New York
Derek Jarman, queer provocateur and one of British cinema's most fearless directors of the past 40 years, rightfully receives the hagiographic treatment in Isaac Julien's slender portrait.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Walter M

Thankfully, "Derek" has nothing to do with Derek Jeter.(Sorry, Mets fan.) Rather, it is an endearing documentary about Derek Jarman, an iconoclastic film director who challenged the status quo both politically and aesthetically, who died of AIDS related complications in… More
Thankfully, "Derek" has nothing to do with Derek Jeter.(Sorry, Mets fan.) Rather, it is an endearing documentary about Derek Jarman, an iconoclastic film director who challenged the status quo both politically and aesthetically, who died of AIDS related complications in 1994. Along with clips from his films and archival footage, the documentary mostly consists of a 1990 interview with Jarman which serves as a narration on his life and work, detailing the creative and political influences on his movies. After a chance meeting with Ken Russell, Jarman, an underground artist at the time, was hired to design the sets for "The Devils"(Now, there is a movie I have to see one of these days...) which turned out to be his introduction to making movies. His political involvement in movements against Thatcher and militancy for gay rights would inform even his historical films, especially "Edward II," with Jarman's signature use of anachronisms, leaving them unstuck in time and making them relevant for all times, especially the present day from which Her Timelessness Tilda Swinton recalls their collaborations and friendship.

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Derek (2008)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

Cast

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