“I never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television.” “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn.” “Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically by definition be disqualified from ever doing so.” Gore Vidal, the blustery and the brilliant, never shied away from slinging his stinging opinions about government, his contemporaries and the American people in general, conversely eliciting cheers and jeers. Now, less than a year after his death, Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia brings the lionhearted man back to the screen.

Anchored by intimate, one-on-one interviews with the man himself, Nicholas Wrathall’s documentary is a fascinating and wholly entertaining tribute to the iconic Vidal, diving into his years on the page, the screen and the scene. With commentary by those who knew him best, including filmmaker/nephew Burr Steers and the late Christopher Hitchens, plus loads of footage from his legendary on-air career, Wrathall reminds us why Vidal will forever stand as one of the most dazzling and fearless critics of our time.

—Liza Domnitz