Where to watch Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project online

Storyline

Intimate vérité, archival footage, and visually innovative treatments of poetry take us on a journey through the dreamscape of legendary queer poet Nikki Giovanni as she reflects on her life and legacy.

Released

2023-11-03
Revenue

n/a
Budget

n/a
Runtime

1hr 42m
Genre

Documentary
Status

Released
Language

English
6.7
Production

Rada Studio, Confluential Films, JustFilms / Ford Foundation, Bertha Doc Society, HBO Documentary Films

Crew

Michèle Stephenson

Director

Joe Brewster

Writer

Joe Brewster

Producer

Keywords:

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Stream and watch Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

Cast

Nikki Giovanni

Self

Taraji P. Henson

Self (voice)

Virginia Fowler

Self

Kai Giovanni

Self

Thomas Giovanni

Self

Touré Neblett

Self

Novella Nelson

Self

Videos and Photos

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

A Review by Brent_Marchant 6

Written by Brent_Marchant on 2024-02-06

Celebrating the life of a towering figure can be a challenge to get right, and that’s precisely where this profile of poet, advocate and edu... read more

Celebrating the life of a towering figure can be a challenge to get right, and that’s precisely where this profile of poet, advocate and educator Nikki Giovanni comes up short. Writer-directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson earnestly but regrettably struggle to capture the nature and character of this African-American icon of literature and activism, whose 60+-year career has borne witness to the wide-ranging history of the nation’s social and cultural movements during that time. Giovanni’s take on these subjects has nearly always been radical and unreserved, with criticisms and commentary unapologetically leveled against the initiatives of both the right and the left when she felt the need to express them, frequently making her a lightning rod for attention from opponents on both ends of the spectrum. At the same time, though, she has always made her views known with an eloquently poetic touch, making it difficult for naysayers to find fault with her incisive, spot-on observations. By all rights, this is a life that would seem to provide the makings for an intriguing biography, but, unfortunately, that outcome doesn’t materialize as effectively as it might have. The problem rests with the organization of the material included in the film, which at times seems quite scattered, particularly in the unfocused opening half. To its credit, this offering develops a greater sense of lucidity the further one gets into the narrative, but it’s too bad that it doesn’t live up to this potential throughout. Had it done so, this would have been one of the better documentaries of 2023, but, as it stands now, “Going to Mars” leaves audiences with a somewhat frayed portrayal of its subject, at least at the outset. Reading her works, in the end, may ultimately offer viewers a clearer and more complete picture of its principal, someone whose outspoken outlooks truly deserve to be better known at such a critical time in our nation’s history.