In A World… [DVD]

In 1957, a masterpiece of American literature shook an entire generation and marked the birth of the Counterculture. The work, considered obscene by the most reactionary sectors of society, was put on trial in San Francisco. HOWL portrays this crucial moment in history through three characters: the young writer Alan Ginsberg (James Franco), the young man's defense attorney, Jake Ehrlich (Jon Hamm), a famous champion of civil cases, and the prosecutor, Ralph McIntosh. (David Strathairn) who tries to demonstrate that the work is obscene while striving to understand it. The representation of the trial is a narrative thread within the fabric of a film in which, through flashbacks, the young Ginsberg reflects on the creative process of his work and the personal struggle and liberation that he had to experience. The poem is a vibrant animation, an imaginary journey through the mind of an artist.