”Sr.” with Chris Smith

Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers

One of them is a pathbreaking filmmaker whose oddball, bracingly original work re-defined the underground cinema of the 1960s and ‘70s. The other is one of the most acclaimed and beloved actors of the last 35 years. But, to each other, they are simply “Sr.” and “Jr.” — Robert Downey, Sr. (“Putney Swope”, “Greaser’s Palace”) and Robert Downey, Jr. (“Chaplin”, “Iron Man”), that is. At first glance, filmmaker Chris Smith’s (“100 Foot Wave”, American Movie”) beguiling new Netflix documentary “Sr.” is a thoroughly engaging up-close-and-personal look at this immensely talented father-son duo. But, when Sr. is diagnosed with a life-threatening degenerative disorder midway through production, the film takes on deeper and more universal meanings. What unfolds is a truly moving account of a son’s desire to better understand and connect with his somewhat enigmatic father before it’s too late.

Joining Ken on “Top Docs”, Chris describes the film’s evolution from a portrait of an artist to a much more personal family drama once Sr. was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. What was it like to arrive at Jr.’s house on the first day of shooting and be told, to your surprise, “Nothing is off limits.”? How did Sr.’s genius manifest itself in the rather unusual request he made of Jr. for a full-throated performance of a German folk song in order to engineer the perfect “left turn” for the movie? And, what email did Chris receive at the 11th hour that led to the film’s new and final ending? In making the film, one of Sr.’s guiding principles that Chris took to heart was to “learn to trust anything and anything can happen”. After watching “Sr.” and listening to our conversation with Chris, we trust that you’ll feel pretty much the same way.

“Sr.” debuts on Netflix on December 2nd.

Hidden Gem: “Vernon, Florida”

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