Portnoy's Complaint : Sex, Lies and Confessions
Synopsis
The scandalous best-seller which brought fame and severe polemics to its author! With 4 million copies sold, why did it divided the Jewish community and American literature alike ? This documentary looks back at the controversy and analyzes how Philip Roth offers a complex and profound exploration of the human psyche.
Through the literary scandal and narrative power of Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth, this documentary explores a bold work that disrupted its time by blending humor, provocation, and introspection. Delving into the tormented mind of Alexander Portnoy, a young man grappling with his impulses and the constraints of a strict Jewish upbringing, the film highlights how Roth redefined the sexual and cultural taboos of the 1960s. Amid accusations of misogyny, pornography, and antisemitism, this story becomes a mirror of human contradictions and societal evolution. Featuring contemporary analyses and passionate testimonies, this documentary revisits a provocative work to reveal its modernity while posing an essential question: what place would Portnoy have in today’s society?
Credits
Director (1)
Production and distribution (2)
- Executive Producer : Les Batelières Productions
- Film exports/foreign sales : Seventine
Media Gallery
Technical details
- Programme format : One-off
- Type : TV programme
- Genres : Documentary
- Sub-genre : Documentary
- Themes : Literature, Culture
- Production language : French
- Production country : France (100.0%)
- Nationality : 100% French (France)
- Production year : 52
