Narrated by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché is a two-hour feature documentary investigating the full scope of the life and work of cinema's first female director, screenwriter, producer, and studio owner Alice Guy-Blaché.[5]
Production
The project was launched with a successful Kickstarter campaign, which prompted other crowdfunding opportunities.[6]
Critical response
Reviews for the version of the film screened at Cannes were generally positive, with Deadline's Pete Hammond claiming it to be perhaps "The Best (And Least-Seen) Film in Cannes."[7] Overall, critics positively reviewed the film. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 96% approval rating based on 92 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché aims an overdue spotlight on a cinematic innovator's career, with the added benefit of absorbing historical context."[8] Reviewing for The Hollywood Reporter, Leslie Felperin considered that Be Natural "represents a timely contribution to the international conversation about the challenges facing women filmmakers while also boosting the reputation of someone who really should be better known by now as a role model. As a teaching and consciousness-raising tool, it will be an indispensable resource."[9]A. O. Scott for The New York Times wrote, "Be Natural is inspiring because it is also appalling."[10]
In a less positive review, Jay Weissberg wrote in Variety: "there's that title, The Untold Story, which ignores a number of earlier documentaries not to mention the significant amount of scholarship on pioneering filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché. ... These are what can be called inconvenient truths, for Pamela B. Green, director of Be Natural, is on a mission to discover why—supposedly—no one has ever heard of Alice Guy-Blaché."[11]
Be Natural premiered in the UK on January 17, 2020. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, calling it a "fascinating documentary."[12] He also picked Be Natural as one of his 10 best documentaries of 2020.[13] Gaby Wood of The Telegraph gave a positive review, calling it "gripping and poetic."[14] Danny Leigh of The Financial Times also gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "With timing both flawless and bleak, few films arrive feeling so vital as Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché."[15] In December, the film was named one of the 50 Best Films of 2020 in the UK by The Guardian.[16]The Guardian chief film critic Peter Bradshaw picked the film as one of his 10 favorite documentaries of 2020.[17]
Be Natural premiered in France on June 22, 2020. Véronique Cauhapé of Le Monde gave the film 4 out of 5 stars.[18]
