Movie Review: Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, a Documentary Directed by Laurent Bouzereau (2020)

Poster for Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, 2020.

Natalie Wood, late 1960's.

Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie Wood's daughter and one of the producers of What Remains Behind. (Photo from the Natalie Wood Instagram account.)

I’m a big fan of Natalie Wood, and I was very excited when the news came out that her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner was producing a documentary about her mother. Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, premiered on Tuesday night on HBO. For fans of Natalie Wood, it’s a must-see.

The fact that Natasha Gregson Wagner produced Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind means that we get to see an amazing array of behind the scenes photos and film footage. Both of Wood’s children—Natasha Gregson Wagner and Courtney Wagner—were interviewed, as well as both of Natalie’s husbands, Richard Gregson and Robert Wagner, her personal assistant Mart Crowley, the author of the groundbreaking 1968 play The Boys in the Band, two time co-star Robert Redford, and others. What Remains Behind is a real behind the scenes look at this iconic actress. 

What Natasha Gregson Wagner says in the trailer becomes the theme of the movie: “There’s been so much focus on how she died, that it’s overshadowed who she was as a person.” Of course, we all know how Natalie Wood died: she drowned off Catalina Island in 1981 at the age of 43. There has been an endless amount of speculation about the events of that night, and What Remains Behind addresses the mysterious circumstances around Natalie’s death during an emotional interview with Natasha and Robert Wagner. Personally, I think Natalie Wood’s death was a tragic accident, and that’s the point of view that What Remains Behind takes.

What Remains Behind is very well structured, although it isn’t strictly chronological. The film flows together very nicely. I was a little disappointed that Warren Beatty wasn’t interviewed for it, but it takes Beatty such a long time to decide to do anything that I’m not totally surprised.

It’s apparent that Natasha Gregson Wagner wants to change the narrative about her mother. Gregson Wagner wants her mother to be seen as a whole person, rather than just a tragic figure who died too young. Over the last 5 years or so, as Natasha has taken a more visible role in publicizing and shaping her mother’s legacy, I think she has changed the narrative about Natalie Wood’s life. Natasha has launched a fragrance, published a beautiful coffee table book, 2016’s Natalie Wood: Reflections on a Legendary Life, and now we have What Remains Behind, and Natasha’s memoir More Than Love, which was also released on Tuesday. What Natasha has done is given us a more vibrant picture of the woman who was Natalie Wood. Natasha has ensured that her mother will be remembered not only for being an amazing and beautiful actress, but also a vibrant woman who was a dedicated mother and a great friend to all who knew her.