REVIEW: ‘In the Company of Rose’ welcomes you to Rose Styron’s Vineyard
Photo: In the Company of Rose features the story of Rose Styron and William Styron. Photo courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment / Provided by Obscured Pictures with permission.
In the Company of Rose is a touching and intimate portrait of Rose Styron, a poet and longtime resident of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. She’s also the widow of William Styron, the American writer of Sophie’s Choice and The Confessions of Nat Turner, and the camera is turned on her for a series of conversations with her good friend James Lapine, the writer behind musicals like Into the Woods, Falsettos and Sunday in the Park With George.
The documentary, running fewer than 90 minutes and now in theaters, features an approachable and fascinating dialogue about a remarkable life lived to the fullest; it’s almost as if the viewer has been invited to afternoon tea with Rose. There are memories shared about Rose’s childhood in Baltimore, her venturing out to mid-century Rome, her falling in love with William, and her eventual relocation to Connecticut and then Martha’s Vineyard. Along the way, audience members learn about her many friendships and acquaintances over the years, with the likes of poet Dylan Thomas, the Kennedys, Truman Capote and Lillian Hellman.
Lapine is drawn to Rose for obvious reasons. She’s a fascinating person with a wealth of history, and she’s a wondrous storyteller. She’d have to be for this film because there are no real frills about its presentation. Lapine and his skeleton crew (Ollie Becker provides additional cinematography) simply set up the camera, hit record and start talking. There’s a little more flair with the editing, allowing Lapine to have the present-day Rose talk on one side of the screen while historical photos run alongside her recitations. But that’s about it, which means what Rose has to say better be good in order to keep the viewer’s attention. Luckily, Lapine has struck gold with Rose because she’s an undeniably interesting subject, and it’s no wonder that she recently released her memoir. She is the embodiment of 20th century history.
A lot of the focus of the documentary falls on Rose and William’s relationship, which, by all accounts, was a strong and loving one, although it was tested by William’s depression There are many fond memories of their decades-long relationship, with nice tidbits thrown in, like Rose’s love of having William read aloud the latest drafts of his novels. There are also stories about children and grandchildren, plus the many visitors to their peaceful house on the Vineyard.
Spending an hour and a half with Rose is a most welcome cinematic pursuit. She seems to keep her days busy because she wants to interact with people, learn from them, share her own perspectives and stay involved with this thing called life. That’s probably why she dedicated so much time to humanitarian causes, including taking many trips with Amnesty International, trying to better understand global politics and what authoritarian leaders were doing to their citizens. That activist streak, along with her work as a journalist and poet, created a life of countless memories, and thankfully she has decided to open a window to the last 90-plus years of her life, all courtesy of Lapine’s gracious documentary.
Pull up a chair, and spend some time with a friend.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
In the Company of Rose, featuring Rose Styron, is directed by James Lapine. Running time: 85 minutes. In theaters and on demand from Greenwich Entertainment. Rating: 
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