HOW TO COME ALIVE WITH NORMAN MAILER explores the rollercoaster life of America’s most controversial and bestselling author of the 20th century, Norman Mailer. Propelled by his tremendous ego and contrarian spirit, Mailer’s ceaseless visibility in the public eye lasted six decades, during which he had six tumultuous marriages, nine beloved children, 11 bestsellers, three arrests, and two Pulitzer Prizes. Prophet, hedonist, violent criminal, literary outlaw and social provocateur, Mailer’s ideas about love, anger, fear and courage cut to the core of human nature and are more relevant than ever today — and point to a prescription for waking ourselves up, shaking free of society’s expectations, and coming alive as a people.
The first project with full access to Mailer’s family and their archive, the film unearths a treasure trove of intimate and never-before-seen footage, outtakes, audio recordings and interviews from throughout his life. Mailer lays himself bare, foibles and all. As a lover, fighter, rabble-rouser, and perhaps the last true American public intellectual, he seeks most of all to become a bolder, better human being and encourages us to do the same — to think adventurously, speak fearlessly, and care less about the response — or risk a doomed future.
