By: Emily Shwake

We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live isn’t just a documentary about Joan Didion. It is her nephew’s tribute to his aunt. Griffin Dunne is a filmmaker, actor, and writer who grew up with one of the most impressive novelists and journalists alive today. The woman—never before seen on the silver screen—divulges much of herself in her writing, but Dunne felt that her audience deserved to know her a bit more personally.

In an interview with Kickstarter, Dunne explains that his aunt’s writing allowed him to know things about her that she wouldn’t otherwise discuss. He designed the documentary to have the periods of her life filter through her essays.

“It’s an unusual thing to be in constant awe of your relations,” Dunne relies. “They’re my aunt and uncle and now my aunt is surviving—that kind of awe and admiration has never stopped.”

Dunne’s admiration for his aunt didn’t stop short of her writing. After his uncle and father died, the two became like partners: “we’ve ended up in first position right next to each other.”

The documentary is now live and available for watching on Kickstarter.

Photo: Kickstarter
Published: August 24, 2015