Writers tend to have interesting life stories, making them prime subject matter for feature films. From the tortured artist to the ostracized radical to the misunderstood genius, these movies revel in the deep, psychological impulses that compel their protagonists to write. Josephine Decker's latest film, Shirley, dives in the world of 20th-century novelist and short story author Shirley Jackson – a woman whose works weren't appreciated until after her death.
Starring Elisabeth Moss in the title role, Shirley contributes to a long legacy of author biopics that combine fact and fiction in order to weave a compelling narrative. At times comedic and at times tragic, these films rely on intense character studies to share insights into the creative process.
Capote (2005)
Bennett Miller's Oscar-winning film about the writing of Truman Capote's 1966 crime novel In Cold Blood stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote. Catherine Kenner plays Harper Lee, one of Capote's lifelong friends, better known as the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.
In Cold Blood, considered the most influential true crime book of all time, documents the investigation into the murder of the Clutter family, who were murdered in their Kansas home in 1959 during a home invasion. The film dives into the relationships Capote developed with the two men eventually accused of the crimes.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
Terry Gilliam's psychedelic dark comedy is based on the Hunter S. Thompson book of the same name. Thompson, a journalist known for his books about the '60s counterculture, wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a semi-autobiographical novel about a drug-fueled trip he took to Nevada.
Johnny Depp and Benicio del Doro co-star as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. Duke, on a magazine assignment to cover a motorcycle race, subsists on a cocktail of LSD and mescaline. While the film doesn't match Thompson's acute and vivid prose style, it still provides an entertaining look into the mind of an important American writer.
Howl (2010)
James Franco plays infamous Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in this experimental biopic from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Considered Ginsberg's most iconic poem, "Howl" received publicity in 1957 when San Francisco bookstore owner and fellow poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti was arrested for selling published copies of the poem – deemed illicit because of its numerous references to drugs and homosexuality.
The film unravels in a non-linear fashion, cutting back and forth between the obscenity trial and the events surrounding the writing of the poem. The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of the poem, which remains the defining work of the Beats alongside Jack Kerouac's On The Road.
Wilde (1998)
Based on the life of 19th-century Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde, Wilde stars Stephen Fry in the title role. The film is based on the biography of Wilde written by Richard Ellmann. Wilde was a popular and revered writer in his day, known for plays like The Importance of Being Earnest and novels like The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Wilde's life was ruined when he was arrested and charged for having a homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas right before the turn of the 20th century. Jude Law plays Douglas, but Fry steals the show with his genuine, emotional portrayal of Wilde.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
A potent documentary, I Am Not Your Negro pays tribute to the life and works of American writer James Baldwin. Baldwin was a lifelong activist whose works focus on the black American experience, specifically how it relates to the country's history of racism. Baldwin, who was openly gay during his lifetime, was also at the forefront of the Gay Liberation Movement.
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the biopic is based on one of Baldwin's unfinished manuscripts: Remember This House. The film features notes and letters written by Baldwin, as well as reflections about Baldwin's relationships with Civil Rights leaders like Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.
An Angel At My Table (1990)
New Zealander Jane Campions pays tribute to one of her country's most beloved writers in this intimate, gorgeous biopic. Janet Frame grew up in a poor family, and she suffered from emotional and mental issues brought on by the numerous family tragedies.
Frame spent much of her younger years in a mental institution, where she found solace in writing. She published works while institutionalized, giving her the stability and creative outlet she needed to establish a healthy life for herself on the outside. Kerry Fox plays the adult Frame in An Angel at My Table, which is based on three autobiographies Frame wrote in her lifetime.
Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (1985)
Paul Schrader's biopic about Yukio Mishima, one of Japan's best 20th-century writers, cuts between shots from Mishima's life and dramatizations from the writer's most famous works. While it's cut and paste narrative jumps through time, much of the film is set on November 25, 1970 – Mishima's final day of life.
Ken Ogata plays Mishima, who grew increasingly militaristic in the decades following World War II. Mishima yearned for the reinstatement of Japan's emperor. The film ends with a bloody finale as Mishima and his followers attempt to stage a coup of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
Colette (2018)
Keira Knightley plays early 20th-century French novelist Colette in this straight forward biopic from Wes Westmoreland. Set in bohemian Paris, the film follows the young Colette as she leaves her rural home behind in order to relocate to the big city with her new husband, Henry Gauthier-Villars.
Dominic West plays Gauthier-Villars, another writer who published under the pen name Willy in his time. The film documents Colette's journey from ghostwriter to accomplished writer – a feat for a woman at a time when the French literary scene was dominated by men.
Il Postino (1994)
Known in English as The Postman, this Italian film uses the exile of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda as a backdrop for exploring a fictionalized relationship between the writer and a postman. Due to political reasons, Neruda was forced to leave his home country multiple times over his lifetime.
In the film, the lonely Neruda develops a unique relationship with the man who delivers his mail by bicycle. While the real Neruda spent time exiled in Italy in the early '50s, Il Postino takes liberties with what he did why he was there. Still, the film digs deep into the philosophical ideas and social mores that inspired Neruda's works.
Shirley (2020)
Shirley also takes liberties with the life of writer Shirley Jackson, but it's style and themes are a testament to Jackson's most iconic works of horror: The Haunting of Hill House (made into a popular Netflix series) and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Elisabeth Moss is captivating as Jackson, with Michael Schulberg co-starring as Jackson's real-life husband Stanley Hyman.
Hyman, a professor at Bennington College in Vermont, had a fraught relationship with his wife, one involving copious amounts of alcohol and untold affairs. The film transpires over one summer as a young couple moves in with Jackson and Hyman while Jackson struggles to write her latest novel.