Howl
A formally inventive portrait of Allen Ginsberg, whose groundbreaking poem becomes the battleground for artistic freedom, queer self-expression, and a new American counterculture.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- intellectual
- earnest
- passionate
- literary film night
- arthouse viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found James Franco's committed performance and the film's ambitious literary hybrid compelling, while arguing that its fragmented approach lacks sufficient focus.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film interweaves Ginsberg's life, the obscenity trial, and animated sequences that interpret the poem's surreal imagery.
The central trial tests whether Howl is obscene while the surrounding story presents poetry as a vehicle for personal and social liberation.
Animated passages echo the poem's surreal style and operate alongside live-action performances and trial scenes.
Ginsberg's artistic breakthrough and the obscenity case are framed as pivotal moments in the birth of American counterculture.
Films like Howl, and why
Sylvia
literary biographical drama about an influential writer, combining personal history with a stylized engagement with artistic work
Bright Star
intimate dramatization of a celebrated poet's creative life, sexuality, relationships, and cultural legacy
Neruda
experimental literary portrait using hybrid form and performance to explore artistic identity and countercultural history
Kill Your Darlings
lgbtq-focused period drama centered on a writer, censorship, and the collision between private life and public expression
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
- Release Date
- 2010-08-26
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (200)
Cast
- James Franco
- Todd Rotondi
- Jon Prescott
- Aaron Tveit
- David Strathairn
- Jon Hamm
- Andrew Rogers
- Bob Balaban
- Mary-Louise Parker
- Treat Williams
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Dekkoo, Chai Flicks, Dekkoo Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Howl about?
- A formally inventive portrait of Allen Ginsberg, whose groundbreaking poem becomes the battleground for artistic freedom, queer self-expression, and a new American counterculture.
- What is Howl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Howl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Howl violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Howl as mild.
- What did critics think of Howl?
- Critics generally found James Franco's committed performance and the film's ambitious literary hybrid compelling, while arguing that its fragmented approach lacks sufficient focus.
- Which films are like Howl?
- Films with a similar feel include Sylvia, Bright Star, Neruda, and Kill Your Darlings.
- How long is Howl?
- Howl runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch Howl?
- In United States, Howl streams on fuboTV, Dekkoo, Chai Flicks, Dekkoo Amazon Channel.
