By Taylor Long

Usually, one of the best ways to understand a writer is to understand where they’re coming from, to understand their life, their passions. Often controversial and almost always crude, writer Charles Bukowski is no exception to this.

Known best for works like Barfly, Post Office and Pulp, as well as his numerous volumes of poetry, Bukowski came to be associated with a kind of slummy living that was dominated by alcohol, fighting and sex.

Any true fan of Bukowski’s work can tell you that thought that was the side of Bukowski most often seen, there was another side to the prolific writer. A side that wrote about family, a side that had plenty of social commentary and insight; one just had to dig to find it. Now, with the documentary Born Into This, directed by John Dullaghan, it is easier to see Bukowski from this perspective.

Dullaghan took no chances with getting the documentary entirely correct; he spent seven years researching and shooting it, and talked to as many people that were close to Bukowski as he could. He conducted interviews with relatives, neighbors, post office workers, girlfriends, other poets, John Martin (Bukowski’s publisher), Linda Bukowski (his wife) and, of course, fans, which include actor Sean Penn and U2’s Bono. These stories from friends confirm the Bukowski known to everyone, but also the Bukowski known to those he loved and those who loved him.

The film follows the life of Bukowski, from his tortured childhood and German roots, to his chain of low-paying jobs, seedy apartments and dysfunctional relationships, to his dedication to writing and his eventual development into a celebrity. The viewer seems to be spared no detail, learning about things like Bukowski’s demands at poetry readings (two bottles of wine), his 12 years with the post office, the effect of his acne vulgaris, and that Bukowski would never keep copies of the work he sent out to publishers.

Dullaghan wanted there to be as much footage of Bukowski himself as possible, and he does an amazing job, making the viewer feel like they almost come to know Bukowski personally by the end of the 130 minutes. There are shots of Bukowski driving in his car, walking down the street, at poetry readings and from countless interviews. At first, Bukowski’s voice is harsh and haunting, but the viewer hears it so often that it becomes somewhat soothing, almost like a song.

The Bukowski that was known to the world was often drunk and belligerent, but the Bukowski that Dullaghan captured on screen (though often still drunk and belligerent) also shows tenderness and even cries. The viewer sees the side of Bukowski that wrote work like “Bluebird,” which starts with the stanza, “there’s a bluebird in my heart that / wants to get out / but I’m too tough for him / I say, stay in there, I’m not going / to let anybody see / you.”

It is fitting that the title of the documentary comes from Bukowski’s poem, “Dinosauria, We,” a apocalyptic piece from one of his later volumes of poetry, Last Night of the Earth Poems. This shows Bukowski at his retrospective, yet bitter best, with lines like “born into this / into hospitals which are so expensive that it’s cheaper to die / into lawyers who charge so much it’s cheaper to plead guilty / into a country where the jails are full and the madhouses closed / into a place where the masses elevate fools into rich heroes.”

Whether you are a long-time follower of Bukowski’s work, or just curious about the man behind the name, Born Into This is absolutely recommended viewing. This stunning portrayal will no doubt answer a few burning questions, yet leave you with a hunger for something wholly undescribable.

Thus far, Born Into This has only seen a limited release, but you can catch it this coming Sat., Mon. & Tue. (Nov. 6, 8 & 9), at 7pm and 9pm at the Steinhardt Building, 35 West 67th street, care of Makor Film and the 92 Y. For more information on the screenings, go to 92y.org, and for more information on the documentary, visit magpictures.com.

Final Grade: A+

Writer Charles Bukowski was often known for his crude behavior, and is the subject of Born Into This. (Image courtesy free.art.pl)