Must Read After My Death is a 2009 documentary film written, produced, and directed by Morgan Dews. It is a story about Allis and her husband Charley, in Hartford, Connecticut in the 1960s.
The film's soundtrack was composed by the Emmy-nominated musician Paul Damian Hogan.
Synopsis When a Hartford couple turns to psychiatry for help with their marriage, things quickly spiral out of control. Couples counseling, individual and group therapy, and 24-hour marathon sessions ensue. Their four children suffer and are given their own psychiatrists. Pills are prescribed, people are institutionalized, and shock therapy is administered. The story is told by the family itself, from a collection of audio recordings and home movies, illuminating a difficult and extraordinary time.
Production Must Read After My Death was created after Dews found a trove of video and tape belonging to his late grandmother, Allis. The documentary does not include interviews with Allis' grown children and focuses only on her video and audio diary.
Distribution The film had its US premiere in 2008 at the LA Film Festival. Gigantic Digital released Must Read After My Death in February 2009. It was the first film to be released day-and-date in theaters and online. Gigantic managed to control the availability of the film online, blocking it in markets where the film was playing theatrically.
Critical response The film received critical acclaim, receiving 90% positive reviews at the website Rotten Tomatoes.
Accolades Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result 2007 Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival Joris Ivens Award Must Read After My Death 2008 Marseille Festival of Documentary Film Grand Prix of the International Competition International Documentary Film Festival of Navarra Punto de Vista Special Mention Doclisboa International Film Festival Odisseia Award for 1st Documentary Festival dei Popoli Florence Audience Award & Special Mention Filmer à tout prix Gala Opening Film 2010 Shanghai International TV Festival Magnolia Award, History & Biography Documentary Golden Award
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