Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2016)

A brilliant but tortured 56-year-old artist channels her depression and anxiety into her work.

Director:

Frank Stiefel

Star:

Tom Wudl

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tom Wudl	...	Self

Storyline

Mindy Alper is a tortured and brilliant 56 year old artist who is represented by one of Los Angeles' top galleries. Acute anxiety, mental disorder and devastating depression have caused her to be committed to mental institutions undergo electro shock therapy and survive a 10 year period without the ability to speak. Her hyper self awareness has allowed her to produce a lifelong body of work that expresses her emotional state with powerful psychological precision. Through interviews, reenactments, the building of an eight and a half foot papier-mache' bust of her beloved psychiatrist, and examining drawings made from the time she was a child, we learn how she has emerged from darkness and isolation to a life that includes love, trust and support.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | mother daughter relationship | number in title | 

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Taglines:

Her art saved her life.

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Genres:

Documentary | Short | Biography

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Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2018)

User Reviews

Amazing

At our Oscar party the random invitees who were just there for the company seemed dumbstruck at our jumping up and down, cheering and shouting, when this wonderful, touching, beautifully painful yet uplifting movie won. I try to see every Oscar nominated movie every year (I usually only miss a few) and this is easily one of my favorites, EVER! By the end of its screening I think the whole theatre was in tears.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2018 (Taiwan)

Also Known As:

Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

40 min

Color:

Color