We went to see Kill Your Darlings tonight, a film about Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs during their college years at Columbia. It is a disturbing look into a dark event that occurred during that time and how that event affected primarily Allen Ginsberg, who is the viewpoint character. I would recommend this film though it’s not the easiest to watch. The acting is very strong with Daniel Radcliffe playing Ginsberg and Dane DeHaan playing Carr, and the story is based on actual facts related to Lucien Carr in the mid-‘40’s. Also, it’s a window into the world of these future Beat poets at a critical time in their development.
I say go see it, but don’t go for a light-hearted evening at the movies. This film has some entertaining moments, but is very much about Ginsberg’s coming of age at the hands of his friend, Lucien Carr, who was fighting some serious demons in his life at the time. Still, it is worth your time and money since it brings to light the breakout of these key Beat writers and helps to clarify where they were and what they were rebelling against in 1944.
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