Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is an efficient documentary, even if it’s as standard as biopic docs get.

As a prolific voice in black literature, Nobel Prize winner Morrison takes the viewer through her life and career;  from early memories of falling in love with language, to her breakthroughs she had with representing black characters, to the controversies she faced with her published writing, to new levels of mainstream fame.  Morrison, along with a collection of admirers and acquaintances, guide movie goers through the author’s cultural impactions and impressions.  Meanwhile, director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders maintains a consistent pace to the testimonial-based documentary, but he also leans heavily on “talking heads” to deliver the information.

The main takeaway of Greenfield-Sanders’ doc is that the audience is bound to learn something new.  Morrison and her supporters talk so beautifully, movie goers can’t help but hang onto every last word they speak.  However, it would’ve been nice to see Morrison – a literary trailblazer – featured in a film that wasn’t so glued to formalities.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie