A movie about an author about a book about a killing.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2018)

So here we have it, the actor and the subject he portrays, in my perception both important names in the American cultural life, in and about few of the things having the stamp Made in America that Americans can actually still feel proud of: movies and literature. Both viewed in the clarifying insight that death provides. The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman who with this movie established his fame firmly and that was described as a turning point in his career. Similarly for the portrayed, the real author Truman Capote (also himself an actor once), while already quite famous at the time, with his 'non -fiction novel' (if ever there was an oxymoron) In Cold Blood also shot to stardom. So it is very interesting and understandable that the creators of this biopic chose the period in which this novel came into being and by casting an actor also on the verge of a solid breakthrough. For me the movie was a nice introduction to the person of Truman Capote who appears as a complex personality with his all too human vanity, piercing perception and ruthless exploitation of emotions pertaining to the heart in the service of his goal: to write a great book. To gauge if the quirky manners of Capote has seen here have any connection with reality maybe you should watch some old footage from the era, but somehow the sense of trust emerges that Seymour Hoffman had been doing just that and it earned him an Oscar. Slowly and decidedly the plot builds up to the point where it cuts to the chase regarding the events on that fateful day when the victims were slayed and to get that story out of the main perpetrator. In parallel another very connected plot is building: the equally decided machinations of the American justice system with its appeals and hearings leading up to the eventual and unavoidable execution of the convicted. By hanging. A good old Kansas hanging and even if it takes place in a confined space with well dressed fancy hatted witnesses it cannot escape the notion that it is equally barbaric as a public hanging of old in the town square with cowboys and a horse pulling the rope. The movie can be credited for providing us this insight of how the deplorable practice was performed (the gallows are now on display). Of course a great climax for the movie and enabling Capote to finish the book that since watching this movie has piqued my interest. Summarizing this movie is interesting on many levels as for me it provided some food for thought and spurred further exploration, I recommend to watch it and bring a friend.