JIFF: Erica Jong - Breaking the Wall

“An exciting and very personal portrait of an icon” — Spielfilm

With the worldwide success of her debut novel ‘Fear of Flying’ released in 1973, Jewish New Yorker Erica Jong shook the literary world with her honest depictions of sexual desire from a woman’s perspective. She sold over 12.5 million copies by her 31st birthday and quickly became an icon for second-wave feminism and the sexual liberation of women worldwide.

This unconventional documentary provides Jong with the time and space to meditate on her long career from a distance. She reflects on the pitfalls of early fame, her insecurities, her changing relationship with her artistic parents and sister, her four marriages, and how her identity became synonymous with her writing. Visiting the Venetian Ghetto, Jong discusses her complex relationship to Judaism, the power of Biblical stories, the intergenerational trauma she experienced, and their impact on her books.

Rating

Unclass15

Duration

96 min

Language

English

Director

Kaspar Kasics