Let Us Rejoice: The Nora Ephron Documentary Is (Reportedly) Happening!
I love Nora Ephron. You love Nora Ephron. Anyone who has merely held one of her books in their hands loves Nora Ephron. And for good reason: she was a talented, determined, incredible woman, and she inspired countless others to be the same.
So obviously she deserves her own documentary which, THANK ALL OF THE LORDS AND LADIES, is happening. According to the Huffington Post, Nora Ephron’s son, Jacob Bernstein, will be at the helm for Everything Is Copy, a documentary about the writer, for HBO. Produced by Matt Parker and Carly Hugo — with Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter as executive producer — this will most obviously be a glorious work. Especially since it’s been almost a year (June 2012) since she passed away at age 71, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
Because here’s the thing (she said, stretching her hands out before going H.A.M. on this keyboard): Nora Ephron did what terrific, extraordinary writers do. Whether through her films or through her essays, she managed to breathe the kind of life into words most of us didn’t know could exist. Her anecdotes came alive. Her characters seemed like friends. And behind all her work — her plays, her movies, her books, you name it — you could feel the warmth of a woman who really loved what she did; of a person who put feeling into every letter. You can tell when a writer is writing to write, and when another does it because it’s a part of who they are. Nora was not only the latter, but let us come with her on every adventure — which is why, 10 monts after her death, we still tear up when we remember she’s gone.
What’s even more exciting about this documentary is that through it (and yes selfishly), we can say goodbye. We can appreciate her work in whole new ways while also getting a type of closure most fans are never privy too. And understandably — death is a private, personal event, and it isn’t for anyone but who the person dying chooses to include. But while that was not something for us to share in, we can share in Nora Ephron’s work, her accomplishments, her family, and her wonderfulness as a person. We were to share in Nora Ephron’s talents, and we’re luckier still to be given this.
Now go pick up some daisies, the friendliest flower.