Writer Joan Didion sits down with her nephew Griffin Dunne for a loose walk back in time, revisiting her childhood, her career and various life challenges, most notably the death of her husband, fellow writer John Gregory Dunne. Friends, family and colleagues chime in with anecdotes and insights, shining light on a woman who herself illuminated sixties counterculture in her reporting, and much later, made the personal so beautifully poetic with her memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking.”

Watching Dunne’s loving homage to Didion feels like spending time with an effortlessly cool, razor-sharp aunt whose reminiscences continually entertain and inspire. Archival film elucidates the times and milieu she thrived in, but watching Didion interact with Dunne over intimate photo albums and memories is particularly revealing. Dunne has fashioned an insightful, affectionate tribute to his aunt that does full justice to both her life and work.