In The Mix — Video

This is a documentary on the gritty, gruff glory of Charles “Hank” Bukowski—a poet devoted to, as his friend says, the “De-Disneyfication of all of us.” Interviews with his friends, girlfriends and wives and readings by Bono and Tom Waits help fill in the blanks. But it’s the footage of Bukowski’s own wry, understated storytelling (usually affected by copious swigs of alcohol) that provides major insight into his life—stories of first writings, of losing his virginity at age 24 to a 300-pound whore, of merciless childhood beatings by his father and of the mother who stood aside and said, “Father knows best.” This documentary, newly released on DVD, shows a raw, vulnerable, brilliant man, who ultimately found peace through writing and the people courageous enough to love him.