You may have finally stopped crying over the sudden and devastating news about Carrie Fisher and mother Debbie Reynolds’ deaths, but I am here to change all that.
HBO just announced that it is pushing up the release of its Fisher and Reynolds documentary “Bright Lights.” The documentary will premiere Saturday, January 7 at 8 p.m. HBO released the trailer (above) yesterday.
The movie features footage that was shot in 2014 and 2015 of Fisher and Reynolds, who were next-door neighbors, in action. Even if you know little else about Fisher and Reynolds, the movie is certain to make you cry, especially in light of their tragic passings.
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The two shared an unbelievably tight bond. Fisher said that they had “rampant empathy” for one another.
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However, the pair were not always so close. In fact, they didn’t speak for nearly a full decade. It was devastating for them both. In 2011, Reynolds spoke to Oprah Winfrey about the falling out, saying: ““It’s very hard when your child doesn’t want to talk to you but then you want to talk to them and you want to touch them, you want to hold them. It was a total estrangement.”
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There was much speculation in Hollywood about the reason for the coolness between mother and daughter (with many wondering if Fisher’s drug addiction and subsequent diagnosis with manic-depression was to blame) but Fisher said it was much simpler than that. Her mother was a star in her own right (she was in “Singing in the Rain” and was a film icon), and Fisher struggled to live in her shadow.
Thankfully, the two were able to repair their relationship. They both shared a love of Christmas trees, so they kept lighted Christmas tress on their compound year-round. In fact, Fisher had this to say about her beloved parent: “My mother’s like Christmas.”
As for Reynolds, her reported last words were about her dear daughter: “I want to be with Carrie.”
No doubt “Bright Lights” will be an enduring testament to their special bond… just make sure you have some tissues handy.