Crumb

In the documentary CRUMB, we step straight into the quirky life of Robert Crumb, the ultimate icon of 1960s underground comix. As he packs his bags for a move to the South of France, we see him sketch his way through life, lost in his passion for old blues records and his cynical worldview. Friends, family, critics, and exes speak candidly about his fame and the controversy surrounding his provocative work.

Crumb is not only an influential cartoonist, but also an artist who constantly pushed the boundaries of the medium. Through his highly detailed drawings, dark humour, and outspoken fascination with sex, power, and human desires, he became a key figure in the American underground comics scene. His work, including the legendary FRITZ THE CAT series, brought him international recognition while also making him a controversial figure. CRUMB reveals just how deeply his personality and artistic universe are intertwined.

But the film goes far deeper than his art alone. As soon as Crumb visits his mother and brothers, the story shifts into a family drama that is as fascinating and shocking as it is unsettling. Their conversations about a harsh childhood and the brothers’ mental struggles lay bare the raw breeding ground for Robert’s artistic talent and his views on sexuality and fetishes. It’s an unfiltered, brutally honest look at the fine line between genius and madness.

Director Terry Zwigoff, a close friend of Crumb, spent nine years crafting this intimate portrait. By getting so close to the family, he delivers a breathlessly honest film. CRUMB won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance in 1995 and remains an absolute classic to this day.

This year, in collaboration with Grafixx (20–22 Nov, De Studio & De Cinema), we are putting three films in the spotlight, each of which explores the power of imagination and the creative potential of the visual medium in its own way. Alongside this biopic, we are also highlighting another legendary and highly distinctive figure from the world of cartoons and underground comics with Gus Van Sant’s DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT, about John Callahan. As the third part of the programme, we present PAPRIKA, Satoshi Kon’s ultimate animated film, in which the boundaries between dreams and reality blur.