Grey Gardens

The isolated lives of mother Big Edie and daughter Little Edie – both close relatives of Jackie Kennedy – are immortalised in the Maysles brothers' cult documentary, faded grandeur and all.

Grey Gardens has seen better days. With 28 rooms, six cats and just a short walk from the beach, the once-revered estate took pride of place in the Hamptons: the summer playground for the East Coast elite. But the gothic mansion is now in decay, the grounds are overgrown, and the two residents – Big Edie and her daughter Little Edie – share their dilapidated house with a family of raccoons.

After their affluent neighbours cry foul, a film crew arrives to document their eccentric and isolated lives.

Curator’s note
Reclusive, yes. Camera-shy, certainly not.

Shepherded by Jackie Onassis’ sister Lee Radziwill, the Maysles brothers (co-directing with Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer) gained entry to Grey Gardens, earning the trust of Big and Little Edie along the way.

The pair give the filmmakers full access to their unguarded moments, unashamed eccentricities and raw honesty, even when it might be unflattering. In turn, the filmmakers build a portrait of the pair that has become one of cinema's most iconic character studies. Throughout the film, the directors' camera remains unsparing and unprejudiced, but crucially, it is also kind.

Grey Gardens premiered at the 13th New York Film Festival. After a limited domestic release in the United States, it made its international premiere at the 29th Cannes Film Festival, where it screened out of competition.