Susan Sontag (1933-2004) lived a life immersed in the arts, in politics, and in intellectual thought. One of the most influential writers of her generation, she authored books and scores of magazine articles on a variety of topics. Art, culture, social justice issues and her own battles with cancer: no matter what the subject, Sontag gave her readers much to think about.
For Bay Area filmmaker Nancy Kates, Sontag was a role model. In her new HBO documentary Regarding Susan Sontag, Kates examines Sontag's work and offers viewers an intimate look at the woman Sontag was. Participants include Sontag's son and sister, as well as an impressive parade of Sontag's female lovers. Sontag herself is heard, speaking in archival interview footage about her work. It's a fascinating portrait, a peek inside the soul of a one-of-a-kind literary figure. The B.A.R. talked to the filmmaker.
David-Elijah Nahmod: What is it about Susan Sontag that fascinates you?
Nancy Kates: I was greatly saddened by her death in late 2004, which followed my father's death by about seven months. I felt that an important voice had been silenced, one that we needed. She is a fascinating, complicated subject for a film, and the project led me in numerous interesting directions, from interviewing the Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer to three residences in art colonies.
Can you describe Sontag's work?
Sontag was interested in "everything," but she also refused to be pinned down or put into a box. This makes it a little complicated to describe her work. She wrote about photography and the images of impact in the culture, including images of war, cancer and AIDS, theater, film, performance art, dance and painting, and many other subjects. She wrote four novels, two plays, and directed four films. She bore witness to war in Vietnam, Israel and Sarajevo.
Can you explain why Sontag might have hid her bisexuality from the public?
Sontag became a prominent intellectual at a time when it was considered professionally detrimental to be out as LGBT. As time moved along, many people asked her to come out, wanting to claim her as a gay icon, but she refused. Ironically, lesbians are still not taken all that seriously in the intellectual world, even today. While many people think the film outs her, her son published two volumes of her diaries and notebooks that are quite explicit about her same-sex loves and heartbreaks.
What is Susan Sontag's legacy?
On one hand, Sontag is less prominent in the public consciousness than she was during her lifetime. On the other hand, she is having a wonderful afterlife, with a play based on her first volume of journals, memoirs, our film, and other works. One of my friends has this game she calls "Sontag bingo," because Sontag's name comes up almost weekly in The New York Times, particularly the book review section. We didn't really deal with the question of her legacy. I wanted to show what she accomplished and how she lived her life, not necessarily give audiences a simple statement about what her work means or how long it will endure. One viewer of the film suggested that her greatest work of art was actually her life and how she lived, which was the greatest compliment to me and my team.
Regarding Susan Sontag is currently in rotation on HBO. It can also be viewed at HBO on Demand or online at hbo.com, through Jan. 9, 2015.