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Reviews
Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005)
Insightful Glimpse Into A Difficult But Sagacious Literary Life
For those who've never heard of Selby, this film is a perfectly-pitched introduction to his life and writings. For those already familiar with Selby's astonishing literary creations -- LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN primary among them, of course -- HUBERT SELBY JR.: IT/LL BE BETTER TOMORROW provides a long-overdue insight into the man himself, painting a vivid and sensitive portrait of an individual attempting to live an artist's life in the latter half of the twentieth century. It sure ain't an easy row to hoe, but Selby's uncompromising approach to the challenge, coupled with the extraordinary humanity and kindness he exhibits, goes a long way toward explaining the genius at the heart of his art. There's a particularly moving segment depicting Selby doing his laundry (in the coin-operated room of his apartment building designed for that purpose) that dramatically reveals some of the tortuous physical sacrifices he was forced to undergo during his lifetime -- sacrifices that have been transmuted, by the alchemy of his literary gifts, into some of the most compellingly honest writing in the history of American literature. Highly recommended.