Dear Mr Brody Trailer Michael James Brody Jr Telluride Documentary

But there is much more to the story than just Brody himself. “Dear Mr. Brody,” the new documentary from director Keith Maitland, explores the events in a new light. Watch the full trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.

Much like Maitland’s previous documentary, “Tower,” the documentary relies on recreations of historical events to discuss issues that still resonate today. The team behind the film unearthed over 12,000 unopened letters that were written to Brody asking for money. The film casts actors to read these real letters and tell the stories of the Americans whose financial needs led them to solicit money from a strange hippie millionaire. By shifting the focus from Brody himself to the people who wrote to him, the film opens the door for a larger conversation about the American economy in the early 1970s. Related Bill Pence, Original Telluride Co-Founder, Has Died at 82 ‘Shaq’ Fixes the Vanity Sports Doc Problem Related Influential Awards Bodies Reshape 2023 Best Documentary Feature Race The Best Film Sound of 2022
In his review from the 2020 Telluride Film Festival, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn wrote: “Brody was a hippie millionaire devoted to saving the world, but he was also a mentally ill drug addict with a Messiah complex. That conflict remains a messy tangle of questions 50 years later, but director Keith Maitland’s enlightening documentary ‘Dear Mr. Brody’ works through the paradox, suggesting that the tragedy of Brody’s fate is matched by the window into the American dream catalyzed by his offer.” “Dear Mr. Brody” will received a limited theatrical run at the Quad in New York City and the Laemmle Monica in Los Angeles starting on March 4. It also streams on Discovery+ later this year.