If “For the Sake of Gold” was a hypothesis — that art can still, to this very day, serve as the fulcrum of a healthy soul — “Walk With Me a While” is the test of that hypothesis, presenting art as so full of life and energy that it spills into the outside world. Much of “Walk With Me” is talking, reciting, song and poetry. The camera moves less, and we are invited to have multiple dinners with Andre as artists talk about their need to adapt, their long careers, and the current states of their relationships. The final scenes are full of, yes, embittered passion, as Tyne Daly announces to her longtime wife, how she really feels and what the Bread Factory has meant — or no longer means — in the modern world.
“A Bread Factory” captures a certain ineffable camaraderie that forms between theater troupes, the exhilaration of living for art, the glory of reading a very old book, and the absurd, frustrating whimsey that is an inherent part of everyday life. Thanks to the caprices of streaming services, both parts are now readily available. If you have Kanopy, it’s free, and plays free with ads on Fandor.
“A Bread Factory” was indeed one of the best films of 2018, and it will stay with you, its warmth and humor and stress carried around like a friendship bracelet. Let’s make art.
