CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has made a name for himself outside of his famous Vanderbilt family, but now his relationship with his socialite mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is being explored in Liz Garbus’ documentary “Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper.”
The film comes to HBO not long after Garbus’ Academy Award nomination for the Netflix doc, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” and the announcement that she will be diving into narrative features by directing the film adaptation of “Lost Girls” for Amazon Studios.
The doc’s official synopsis reads: “Born under a name synonymous with wealth, fortune and New York royalty, Gloria Vanderbilt has lived in the public eye for over ninety years, unapologetically pursuing love, family and career, and experiencing extreme tragedy and tremendous success side by side. Now, through Gloria’s charming and unique artwork, coupled with rare personal footage, and narrated by candid conversations between mother and son, we see her as never before. Gloria and Anderson tell the story of their pasts and presents, losses and loves, revealing how, in life, our family stories repeat themselves in the most unexpected ways.”
The trailer seems to capture that feeling many adult children get when they discover that their parents have had rich, fulfilling and complicated lives and relationships outside of parenthood. Cooper’s curiosity about his mother’s past and unexplained sadness is charming, and we also want to learn more about relief that seems to come from Vanderbilt’s confessional outpouring and artwork.
“Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Speaking with Women and Hollywood, Garbus said that the depth of information is what drew her into the project: “When I learned Anderson had boxes and boxes of films and home movies, and I began to understand the narrative nature of Gloria’s painting, I was hooked.” But the wealth of information was also a hindrance. “The biggest challenge was also our biggest asset: the vast archive,” she explained. “Gloria is a person who has existed in the public eye probably longer than anyone alive. She was famous from the moment [she was born] and today she’s 92. Her photo archive made Marilyn Monroe’s photo archive look tame.”
“Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper” will air on HBO on April 9.
