BUZZ

US, 2019, 90 minutes, Colour.
Buzz Bissinger, Lisa Smith, Caitlyn Jenner, James ‘Boobie’ Miles.
Directed by Andrew Shea.

A film of particular interest to American audiences, an HBO documentary. But, the subject and the characters presented will be of interest more widely than in the US.

The title character, journalist and novelist, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Buzz Bissinger, is certainly a different character. He is very candid in this film, talking directly to camera, discussing his personal life, and especially his private life, very frankly, engaging the audience. Some background is given to his life, two failed marriages, three children, including twins, one of whom is mentally impaired, but who appear with their father, at one of the weddings, where the impaired twin makes a speech. At this stage, Buzz Bissinger has married Lisa Smith, a two-time divorcee, and they seem compatible but in the latter part of the film, tensions surface.

The interviews with Lisa Smith are also candid and frank, her allowing herself to be filmed, and ready to discuss her life, her past experiences, her marriage to Buzz, confronting him about his secrecy about his private life, the marriage failing but their continuing to have some rapport.

There are talking heads throughout, the editor of Vanity Fair for 25 years, discussing favourably Buzz’s talent for writing. There are the testimonies to his skills.

Bissinger is the author of the novel Friday Night Lights which led to a film and television series, very popular in the United States. There is a moving scene where Buzz visits one of the players, James ‘Boobie’ Miles, a husky African- American who is in jail, genial towards Buzz, memories of his past, acknowledging his being a prisoner.

But Buzz Bissinger also wrote a biography with Caitlyn Jenner. The film goes back into the sports career of Bruce Jenner, Olympic success in the decathlon, public admiration. It also quotes his uneasiness in his athletic body, and the decision to transition to Caitlyn Jenner. The film includes quite a lot of discussion sessions between author and Caitlyn Jenner, explanations of how the book should be structured and written, Caitlyn Jenner’s responses, some repartee, some insight into her transition and its consequences.

This seems to provoke some response in Buzz Bissinger who realises that from younger days, he was tantalised by sexual fantasies, moving into the area of sado-masochism and domination, but also a propensity for cross dressing. He becomes more open about this during the film, again quite frank, and sequences, with the audiences and fly on the wall observation, of the discussions between Buzz and Lisa about these issues, his concealing them, and her wanting the truth.

So, within 90 minutes, a portrait of an author, insights into his work, complexities of personal and private lives, family relationships, marriage failures, and an insight into transgender and transsexual change.