

Prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates has remained intensely private. Until now. Through a long-standing friendship, and persistent inquiry, director Stig Bjorkman is granted unprecedented access to document her mornings of longhand writing, her walks with her husband—to visit her within her solitude.
Direction
Björkman's patient, decades-long trust-building pays off.
Cinematography
Quiet observation of morning rituals as sacred ritual.
Writing
Oates' own words, finally spoken aloud by her.

Director
Stig Björkman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Björkman previously made documentaries on Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, making Oates his first non-Scandinavian subject.
Oates has published over 60 novels but initially refused this film for years—her eventual yes reportedly came after her husband's health decline, suggesting mortality loosened her grip on privacy.
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