MFAH Film – A Second Look: Iris

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents the A Second Look film series. This series offers another opportunity to see acclaimed films that played briefly in Houston earlier this year.

Iris
Directed by Albert Maysles
2014
USA
83 minutes
DCP

Iris pairs legendary documentarian Albert Maysles (1926–2015) with Iris Apfel (born 1921), the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed style maven who has had a presence on the New York fashion scene for decades.

More than a fashion film, the delightful Iris is a story about creativity and how a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. Iris brings to the screen a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art, and people are life’s sustenance, reminding the audience that dressing—indeed, life—is nothing but an experiment.

Despite the abundance of glamour in her life, Apfel continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing in the Great Depression. “I feel lucky to be working,” says Apfel, who turns 94 on August 29. “If you’re lucky enough to do something you love, everything else follows.”

Read about the career of Albert Maysles.

“THERE ARE FEW BETTER WAYS RIGHT NOW TO SPEND 80 MOVIE MINUTES THAN TO SEE IRIS, a delightful eye-opener about life, love, statement eyeglasses, bracelets the size of tricycle tires and the art of making the grandest of entrances. It’s a documentary about a very different kind of woman who holds your imagination from the moment she appears.

YOU CAN’T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF IRIS APFEL, BUT, THEN, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO?” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times