Pictures from Life's Other Side

Loosely taking its name from a song by Hank Williams, PICTURES FROM LIFE'S OTHER SIDE extends the tale that was shrewdly introduced in MY GIRLFRIEND'S WEDDING. In this sequel-of-a-sort, director Jim McBride and his then-girlfriend Clarissa venture across the United States by automobile, documenting their expedition and themselves along the way. An honest and searing view of the early-1970s American landscape, PICTURES FROM LIFE'S OTHER SIDE (along with the D.A. Pennebaker/Richard Leacock/Jean-Luc Godard "collaboration" 1 P.M. and a handful of others) is among the few documentaries to intelligently address the intersection of the political and personal challenges of the era.