Little Edie & Grey Gardens

I recently got Grey Gardens from Netflix and can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve realized, after a few days of Googling, I’m not the only one who has a hard time shaking the Beale ladies from her mind after watching the film.

Grey Gardens is a documentary by the Maysles brothers, depicting the lives of two women who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit 28-room mansion at 3 West End Avenue in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. Edith “Big Edie” Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. It’s one thing to talk about who they were, people they were connected to, and how they came to live the way they did, but what fascinates me is the small things. Raccoon feedings, hair loss, Catholic-obsession, co-dependency and a seeming obliviousness to cleanliness are just a few of the bizarre trends the women exhibit. At the same time, Little Edie shift during the course of the film from a crazy woman into a sort of Sybil: her undeniable style, insight despite complete isolation and simultaneous narcissism and oblivion make her one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever heard of.

Follow the ‘more’ to see some art and images from the film.