(Steven Sebring, US 2008, 109 min.)

Eleven years in the making, this portrait of rock icon, poet, and activist Patti Smith captures her fearless, funny, raw, and spiritual personality with a unique and intimate collage of images and performances. The film follows Smith from her punk-poet roots (and early collaborations with Sam Shepard and Robert Mapplethorpe) through her days as a Detroit housewife, and her triumphant return to performing in the ’90s. Sebring’s beautiful film captures the essential nature of this complex, vital, and relevant American artist.