Shepard & Dark

Highly recommended. On the surface, it's about longtime friends Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark sorting through their many letters to each other for a book. Underneath, it's about a close friendship that blossomed despite and because of their many differences; it's also about a close friendship that's drifted apart, probably permanently. Johnny Dark, pothead and hermit, is very much an archivist, keeping all of the letters and photographs the two have shared over their adult lives (they were related by marriage for several years). Sam Shepard, drinker and wanderer, is going through the material for the first time. Though they share a deep history, they struggle to properly reconnect as they work on this project, particularly Shepard, who does not like sifting through the past nearly as much as Dark. It's a very low-key, conversational documentary, basically hanging out with the two of them as they sort through their letters and reminisce about the years when they were very close. It's also quite sad in a way that only non-fiction can be, capturing how age and experience can cause people to drift away from each other; they will always share a deep affection for the other, but also seem aware that they can probably never regain the closeness of their peak years.