L. Frances Henderson Talks ‘This Much We Know’ And “The Search” For Answers

This Much We Know, the directorial debut from L. Frances Henderson, is loosely based on John D’Agata’s book About A Mountain. The documentary attempts to connect the suicide of Levi Presley, who spoke to D’Agata on a suicide hotline a few hours before ending his life, along with the storage of nuclear waste in the nearby Yucca Mountain. An exploration of Las Vegas as the suicide capitol of the U.S. as well as Henderson’s working through her close friend’s suicide, are all covered in this ambitious feature. This film delivered a similar impact to Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson, and I opened up the interview asking if that documentary was an influence.

As fate would have it, L. Frances Henderson bumped into Kirsten Johnson on the street and she expressed her love for Johnson’s work (Johnson also directed 2020’s Dick Johnson Is Dead). Unpredictable connections are just a few of the roads This Much We Know explores.

Henderson’s passion for documentaries is evident all throughout This Much We Know, and the stylistic flourishes she employs weaves an intricate tapestry of heartbreak, confusion, and an unwavering level of humanity.

If viewers are looking for specific answers from This Much We Know, it may be a fool’s errand. The oft used phrase “the journey is the destination” applies to Henderson’s documentary.

“I think in the search for finding answers is what is most interesting,” said Henderson. who spent 12 years making This Much We Know. “It’s the search itself. For me, I never believed that I was going to find answers that were going to be satisfying enough. I found many answers but in terms of what caused Levi to take his life that day when there were no signs beforehand, what caused my best friend to take her life when there were no apparent signs beforehand that she was in distress. I came to realize that no answer would be enough.”

Full interview with L. Frances Henderson is below:

This Much We Know is now playing in theaters. For more info, check out Oscilloscope Laboratories.

***This week’s CinemAddicts podcast features reviews of Manodrome, Nyad, Share?, and It’s A Wonderful Knife.

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