Most biographical documentaries adhere to the same template: a chronological review of the subject’s life and career, wistful anecdotes from family and friends, and narration that sculpts an individual's history into a (usually triumphalist) story. In creating a feature-length portrait Broadway legend Elaine Stritch, director Chiemi Karasawa shies away from this model. Granted, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, still features plenty of warm remembrances and wry showbiz stories. However, it is less formulaic and slick than most hagiographic films, and it manages to humanize the sassy, brassy Stritch in unexpected ways.
Karasawa has a long filmography as a documentary producer, and she brings that experience to her first directorial effort. Although the film includes a bounty of archival photos and videos, the bulk of Shoot Me consists of original handheld footage of Stritch's daily routine. She is still performing as her 87th birthday approaches, and the film follows her through a dense schedule of musical and acting gigs. The viewer tags along with Stritch as she walks the New York streets, rehearses endlessly, and relaxes in her corner room at the Carlyle Hotel. Stritch herself narrates the film in typically acidic tones, and without much regard for chronology.
This approach provides Shoot Me with a raw, candid edge—a carefully crafted edge, no doubt, but effective nonetheless. Stritch talks frankly about her fears, regrets, and stormy relationship with alcohol, but the film's most disarming scenes involve her struggle with diabetes. Witnessing Stritch slip into incoherence as her blood sugar plummets during rehearsal is shocking, but it also establishes a rapport with the viewer. While Shoot Me is not especially adventurous or penetrating, its air of unfiltered backstage intimacy is appealing, especially given that the subject is as memorable as Ms. Stritch.
