“Amy Tan Unintended Memor”, Last Film by James Redford
Amy Tan pays tribute to James Redford
It’s always a sad day when a parent outlives their child, and such a tragic event has occurred in retired acting legend Robert Redford’s household.
Robert Redford and James Redford
Author Any Tan and her mother in a still used in James Redford’s documentary “Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir.”
“I was very reluctant to do it, but Jamie was a very charming person,” Tan said. “… When I watched this documentary, I said, ‘Gosh, I look like I’m on the verge of crying all the time,’ and I think that I was, because it was just talking to him and very openly. He was somebody that I trusted so much that I felt he was never going to judge me, he was never going to pity me, he was just going to listen.”
The two became close during the nearly three years spent making the film.“He got a little obsessed with Amy, I have to say,” said Kyle Redford, with a laugh. “We couldn’t get into a car without playing one of Amy’s stories. No music, no NPR anymore, just Amy on audio!”
Kyle Redford said her husband was drawn to making a documentary about Tan because he needed a break from “problem” documentaries, which he felt had saturated the market —and yet her story appealed to his sensibilities.