Airdate: Winona Ryder: Fighting Demons

SBS VICELAND screens a documentary, Winona Ryder: Fighting Demons on the rise and fall of the Hollywood star.

From gothic-look outsider in Beetlejuice to struggling mother in Stranger Things, Winona Ryder’s career is just like her – anything but ordinary.

Winona plays roles that confront her with personal fears or traumas, giving them tremendous authenticity. Her meteoric rise began at the tender age of 17, and at 19 she celebrated her international breakthrough in Edward Scissorhands. Further spurred on by her romance with acting star Johnny Depp, Winona soon reaches the very top of Hollywood. But the constant attention is too much for her, she threatens to lose herself.

Her relationship with Depp also doesn’t stand up to public scrutiny. After the breakup, Ryder reinvents herself, tries things out and becomes the face of an entire generation through films like Reality Bites. When she is caught shoplifting in 2001, she falls low. Her fate in Hollywood seems sealed – no one wants to work with the former star anymore.

Against all expectations, Ryder fights her way back and inspires a new generation with her role in Stranger Things.

In this documentary, companions such as director David Seltzer, who experienced the then completely unknown 14-year-old Winona on the set of his film Lucas, or Karron Graves, who played alongside her in The Crucible, have their say. They provide previously unknown insights into the life of the actress, whose greatest strengths are her sensitivity and fragility. And who gives a voice to all those who often feel unheard.

Saturday, 28 May at 9.30pm on SBS VICELAND