Should biopics like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Green Book' be accurate?
What kind of accuracy do you expect from movies based on real people or events?
Maybe a better question might be: What kind of accuracy do you want? And are you willing to swallow a few falsehoods in the name of good entertainment?
Unlike documentaries, narrative features based on true-life stories tend to occupy this nebulous middle ground between fiction and nonfiction, where details and timelines become collapsed or murky. Side characters or entire moments are created out of whole cloth for the sake of story expediency.
For me, good biopics are shaped around facts rather than fudges. As a journalist, that's something I think about all the time when I approach my own work: That it's not only possible but vital to tell true stories in interesting and compelling ways, inconvenient details and all.
The rules aren't the same when it comes to telling a cohesive story on screen, requiring different skills and nuanced decisions. Film is - and should be - an artistic expression. I want filmmakers to have the space to be creative and stray from the record to
