VIFF 2012 Review: Gainsbourg by Gainsbourg: An Intimate Self-Portrait

If nothing else, this unusual documentary merits a footnote in the history of film editing. Because Serge Gainsbourg died in 1991, the man could obviously not be interviewed. Nevertheless, the voice-over soundtrack consists entirely of the late singer’s own words, just as the images are culled from old, usually unconnected biographical footage. All in all, a formally innovative tribute to a performer at the centre of an entertainment dynasty so far-flung it would make the Hustons and Fondas combined look like one-shot wonders.

Granville, September 27 (3 p.m.) and October 6 (7:30 p.m.); Pacific Cinémathèque, September 29 (10:45 a.m.).