Lorri: The Recovery Series
1985 · 14m · Canada
Directed by Moira Simpson
Genres: biography, documentary, LGBTQ+
Tones: contemplative, tender
Five years after entering a psychiatric ward for alcohol dependence, Lorri describes rebuilding her life and living openly as a lesbian during recovery.
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A recovery narrative that could've been treacle, but Simpson treats sobriety and queerness as twin acts of self-determination—no redemption arc bullshit, just a woman naming what she's built. The formal restraint is almost defiant.
Simpson's documentary sits squarely in the observational lineage of '80s NFB practice, but the ethical precision—letting Lorri's testimony breathe without editorial sentiment—marks this as formally rigorous work that respects both subject and tradition.
The decision to let Lorri speak directly to camera, unadorned and unhurried, transforms what could be clinical recovery testimony into something intimate; that single formal choice carries the entire film's tenderness.