Today I watched "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" and had a pretty mixed reaction. It's less a straightforward documentary about Bill Kunstler and more an autobiographical exploration by his two daughters about their upbringing, being the children of such a public and controversial figure, and their residual anger at him for his choices ("representing bad people"). At first I had a hard time with how clear they make their disapproval of many of their father's decisions, but in the end I found the film to be a chance to reflect not only on the fight for civil rights and social justice, the work of Kunstler and his choices as a lawyer (about clients, trial techniques, etc), but also on the relationship between parents and children, and the role of parents in educating and radicalizing their kids. Recommended.
(I'd also recommend Kunstler's autobiography, My Life As A Radical Lawyer, as well as the wonderful documentary "The Weather Underground" which, while not directly related to Kunstler, gives a complementary vision of the U.S. the 60's).
Image: William Kunstler (July 7, 1919 - September 4, 1995)
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