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The Beat Generation introduced a counterculture of American literature in the 40s and 50s spearheaded by a lot of major literary figures including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. Like many major cultural movements, the Beat Generation was the result of a likeminded group of artists and writers who simply wanted to live life and tell their stories driven by their lifestyles. Kill Your Darlings is the story of the genesis behind the Beat Generation and how a murder shaped and rattle the lives of those involved.
Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) and Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) met in a Columbia University dormitory in the early 40s and formed a great friendship. Through Carr’s friendship with Edie Parker, he befriended and introduced Ginsberg to Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and the two of them to his friend, William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster). The core of them formed the Beat Generation, but it’s Carr’s questionable relationship with one of Burroughs’ friends, David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), that threw the nucleus into an uproar.
The trailer sets the dark tone with hints of the twist. Considering this is based off of a true story, especially one of my personal literary influences, Kill Your Darlings may just find itself amongst my top films of the year when it’s released in theaters on October 18th. Critical acclaim from its festival screenings have praised both Radcliffe and DeHaan’s performances, which comes as amazing news for the two young actors.