WRESTLING WITH ANGELS: PLAYWRIGHT TONY KUSHNER (Freida Lee Mock, U.S.). 102 minutes. Sunday (May 7), 7 pm, Bloor. Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Author of Angels In America, one of the most important plays of the past 50 years, Tony Kushner is as entertaining, funny and political in person as he is in his scripts. Following Kushner from just after 9/11 to the 2004 presidential election, director Freida Lee Mock allows the writer to reveal what one actor describes as “his big brain and his big heart.” Though it’s occasionally sentimental, the film portrays a man who follows through on his convictions.
Using clips from Angels, Homebody/Kabul and lesser-known works, Mock demonstrates the links between Kushner’s Judaism, his concern for social justice, his queerness and his strong belief that collective action can change the world. Here’s hoping.