When a Comedy Documentary Turns Tragic

nsavides — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 15:59:59 +0000

What’s Eating Ralphie May won Best of the Fest at Nashville Film Festival and Documentary of the Year at Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival. The film was initially intended to be a weight-loss documentary that followed beloved comedian Ralphie May and his family, but it turned into a raw and intimate portrait of a family dealing with addiction during the last years of Ralphie’s troubled life.

At Nashville Film Festival I had the chance to interview comedian and wife of Ralphie, Lahna Turner, and director Cat Rhinehart.

Some of the things we discuss include

What to do when shooting a documentary that takes an unexpected turn
How to earn trust to explore the raw and intimate aspects of someone’s story
What to do when loved ones are wrestling with addiction
If and when it is appropriate to stop filming
How comedy can help get past anguish

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