Howl

I don’t know much about Allen Ginsberg, but after seeing Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s film about the man, I would like to know more. Epstein and Friedman, normally documentary filmmakers, make a film that doesn’t shoot for a biographical feel, but more of a poetic vibe. Much of the film involves Ginsberg (James Franco) simply reading the legendary “Howl” in a coffeehouse. There’s also some interesting, free-flowing animation that accompanies some of the readings, and a re-creation of an early interview with Ginsberg that has, not surprisingly, a documentary feel. Also thrown into the mix is an obscenity trial (with David Strathairn and Jon Hamm playing lawyers) during which “Howl” was put under the microscope. Franco does very good work here, as do Hamm and Strathairn. The film feels more like a documentary re-creation than a standard narrative film, and that makes it all the more interesting.