Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005)

An exploration into the life and art of the renowned author of "Last Exit To Brooklyn" and "Requiem For A Dream." Hubert Selby Jr., a self-described "scream looking for a mouth," against ... See full summary »

Directors:

Michael W. Dean, Kenneth Shiffrin

Writer:

Michael W. Dean (narration)

Stars:

Hubert Selby Jr., Susan Anton, Darren Aronofsky

Cast

Credited cast:
Hubert Selby Jr.	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Anton	...	Herself
Darren Aronofsky	...	Himself
Alexis Arquette	...	Himself
Amiri Baraka	...	Himself
Arthur Boyars	...	Himself
Bill Buell	...	(archive footage)
Ellen Burstyn	...	Herself
John Calder	...	Himself
Jem Cohen	...	Himself
Susan Compo	...	Herself
Luke Davies	...	Himself
Carmine 'Tony' DeFeo	...	Himself
Anthony Di Novi	...	Himself
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Narrator

Storyline

An exploration into the life and art of the renowned author of "Last Exit To Brooklyn" and "Requiem For A Dream." Hubert Selby Jr., a self-described "scream looking for a mouth," against all odds, reached international acclaim with his controversial novels. His is a classic story of the great American novelist, overcoming tuberculosis, drug addiction and financial ruin, Selby eventually triumphed in his life and penned seven of the most remarkable and distinctly American books ever written.

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Plot Keywords:

selby | drug addiction | novelist | requiem for a dream | author | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes to really live... you have to die a few times.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

It/ll Be Better Tomorrow

Filming Locations:

Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Squitten Pix LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is taken from page 103 of Selby's novel "The Demon". The slash is included in Selby's typography.

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Quotes

Hubert Selby Jr.: The writer has no right to be there in the work. I don't have any right to impose myself between the people I'm creating on the page and the reader... and that, the responsibility of the artist is to transcend the human ego.

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Connections

Features Fear X (2003)

User Reviews

The measure of a man....

Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll be Better Tomorrow touched me, taught me, revealed to me a man through the eyes of those who knew him, maybe loved him, but were most certainly enriched by him. The portrait they paint is not always pretty, often tragic, but the soul of the man shines throughout.

Cubby's story is not a triumph, but it is exceedingly human and real. An exploration of the adversities that we all face, to greater and lesser degree, how they can bring us to swamp-crawling despair of self-destruction, yet be redeemed by the pure and simple will to overcome. Cubby persevered, and in that found glory over his darkness and demons. The devils still remain, but Cubby found the way to harness them, to drive them, not be driven by them.

Art should be like a stone, thrown in a pond, creating ripples reaching further and further outward, disturbing, disrupting the placid quiet. This film shows Cubby as a boulder among pebbles.