2016 had its fair share of heartbreak, but the passing of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds within 24 hours of each other was shattering. The mother/daughter Hollywood pair had a close bond that endured no shortage of ups and downs, and that deep friendship is captured in the upcoming documentary “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds.”
Directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, the portrait of the pair spent the year on the festival circuit, screening to strong notices at Cannes, Telluride, NYFF, and AFI, with our own Gregory Ellwood calling the film both “touching and hilarious.” Here’s the synopsis from NYFF:
Carrie Fisher and her mom Debbie Reynolds are now the best of friends (they live steps away from each other in their Beverly Hills compound) and the very definition of Hollywood royalty. But unlike today’s newly minted celebrities, they are both open books. After six decades of screen and stage stardom; a couple of disastrous marriages and assorted financial ups and downs for Reynolds; and, for Fisher, well-publicized drug addiction, bipolar disorder, and deity status (see: Star Wars), neither has anything left to hide. Bright Lights is an affectionate, often hilarious, and unexpectedly moving valentine to the mother-daughter act to end all mother-daughter acts.
“Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds” will debut on HBO on Saturday, January 7th at 8 PM.