Janis: Little Girl Blue

Since her death from a heroin overdose in 1970 at age twentyseven, Janis Joplin has been an ubiquitous presence on posters, T-shirts, and classic-rock radio. In this documentary she reverts from an icon back into a human being. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg excavates unseen material, interviews Joplin’s confidantes and uncovers personal letters. The resulting portrait gives us fresh insight into the mighty talent behind famous versions of “Piece of my Heart”, “Cry Baby”, and “Me and Bobby McGee”.
On stage and on camera, Joplin frequently projected an image of being high and happy-go-lucky. Berg’s film reveals a more vulnerable character who cycled in and out of addictions and channelled her emotions into her art. Singer Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall) does an uncanny job of recreating Joplin’s voice in readings from her letters. But the dominant voice is Joplin's own, in extraordinary performances drawn from both classic and rare footage. (Thom Powers)

On Oct 25 in presence of Amy Berg.