This So-Called Disaster

An insightful portrait of playwright-actor Sam Shepard (True West), shot while he was directing his latest play, The Late Henry Moss, at San Francisco's Magic Theatre in 2000, Michael Almereyda' s This So-Called Disaster in part follows rehearsals in which Shepard molds the performances by his all-star cast--Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, James Gammon, Woody Harrelson, Cheech Marin, and Sheila Tousey--while also featuring revealing interviews with some of the actors, most notably Nolte and Penn, as well as extraordinary behind-the-scenes moments revealing insecurities and capturing occasional disagreements. But the brief snippets from the play, built around a characteristic Shepard theme--the reaction of two brothers to the death of their father--connect the rehearsal footage with what's arguably even more intriguing: excerpts from an extended interview with Shepard, who talks with surprising frankness, and touching humor, about the tortured relationship he had with his own parents (additional biographical material briefly recounts the playwright's early life and career). This combination of elements makes for a fascinating, if necessarily incomplete, portrait of one of America's most important contemporary dramatists--a man with a singular voice--as well as a remarkable celebration of the collaborative creative process involved in the mounting of any theatrical production. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)