REVIEW: Joyce Carol Oates: A Body In the Service of Mind, Genius Explored In New Doc
Stig Björkman’s documentary ‘Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind’ is an informative and beautiful look into the work and life of the award-winning and beloved novelist by the same name. Oates not only wrote a series of novels drenched immensely in race, gender, politics, and socioeconomics but also wrote dramatic novels sans race and politics under pseudonyms, which Oates described as getting to “start over” and “to write as if she were “writing for the first time.”
Joyce Carol Oates is one of America’s most celebrated and renowned novelists. Her extensive body of work vastly spans over five decades. She is a prolific writer, publishing over 58 novels, including numerous short essays, stories, and poems. Joyce’s novels are known for their intense exploration of complex themes such as race, gender, violence, and power dynamics, which she weaves into emotionally charged and intricate narratives.
Directed by Stig Björkman and written by Björkman, Stina Gardell, and Dominika Daubenbüchel, the film deconstructs everything from Oates’ takedown of former President Trump to footage of Oates discussing Marilyn Monroe and the real woman she was not allowed to be. She further explains the impact of the 90s’ police brutality against Rodney King, comparing the incident to the present-day racial brutality of George Floyd. Narrated by Laura Dern, the film is perfectly constructed with Oates in rural and urban landscapes, archival news clips, insightful interviews, and historical events, such as school segregation. Oates touches on adolescence and bullying among youths, which captures the work of Oates’ genius. ‘Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind’ will give you an up close and personal look at the making of Oates’ novels. She wrote many of her novels in longhand most days, only breaking for walks and lunch with her now late husband, but also cozied up to her lap cat, who encouraged prolonged writing sessions due to their clawing outbursts of protest if she were to try and get up.
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