The early and positive word-of-mouth had done its job—effectively and affectionately—for the documentary “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds,” which screened at the 2016 New York Film Festival. The house was packed.
It didn’t seem to matter if you knew anything about Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds and her author/actress/recovering addict and mental health advocate daughter, Carrie Fisher. The word had spread that this film was about the love, the complicated kind that grows between a mother and her daughter.
Carrie Fisher died Dec. 27, and 24 hours later, Dec. 28, her 84-year-old mother, Debbie Reynolds, died, some say from a broken heart. The official causes of death are irrelevant to the simple fact that daughter and mother are together, and according to Todd Fisher, Reynolds’ son, his mother’s last words were simple: “I miss her so much. I want to be with Carrie.”
“Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds” answers why they loved each other so much. It’s safe to say that the proverbial apple didn’t fall far from the proverbial tree.
Mother and daughter lived next door to one another, with just a steep hill separating them. A glimpse inside both houses exposes them both as collectors or hoarders, depending on what side of the fancy fence you’re standing on. Example: Carrie Fisher owned a life-sized Princess Leia Sex Doll, a nod to her most famous role in “Star Wars,” and an item that she claimed she “could not figure out how it works.” On the flip side, Debbie Reynolds once amassed one of the largest collection of Hollywood memorabilia, mobilizing enough support to open a museum and a casino, both of which closed later and forced her to sell the assets.
The film, co-directed by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom, makes clear from the start that they love each other, adding home video footage from Fisher’s childhood neatly spliced together with vintage scenes from Reynolds’ career. Fisher was in the spotlight the day she was born, and with that spotlight came details on her tumultuous private life.
It’s hard for Reynolds to not perform, to be natural, when cameras are around. She grew up in front of them. Fisher’s wit guides us into understanding her mother, sharing something that is obvious. At then 83, Reynolds is not enjoying old age. “It doesn’t make sense to her that her body isn’t cooperating,” said Fisher. “Age is hard for all of us, but she falls from a greater height.”
Hollywood takes a back seat in telling this story. There are eerie markers that will remind some of the fading star in “Sunset Boulevard,” but that character was alone and unloved. That’s not the case with Reynolds or Fisher. They both lean on each other. They tease and soothe, and laugh and take those long, pregnant pauses that are filled with such memory that words have no room.
Fisher does what a good daughter should. She picks up the slack and steals the show, barely, and makes the film happier. Her large personality might have been the direct result of her bipolar condition, or maybe not. Here is where the film takes a dark but fascinating turn, with Fisher giving details on her mood swings, calling the manic part “Roy” and the depressed part “Pam.” In a quirky way, because of her fearless transparency, Fisher made mental illness feel almost cool.
Always the open book, she talks about her legendary drug habit and her very short-lived marriage to Paul Simon. She introduces us to her cute pug, Gary (a celebrity in his own right), and her sister-in-law’s emotional support chicken.
On a familiar note, the film shows the mutual resentments between Fisher and Reynolds, the daughter and mother tug that’s fascinating and familiar. What’s inspiring is how well they get along, and to state that they are close, despite everything between them or maybe because of everything between them, is an understatement.
Daughter and mother died 24 hours apart. If that doesn’t give us some insight into the true roots of their relationship, absolutely nothing will.
“Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds” is on HBO Jan. 7 at 8 p.m.