Unborable: The Ghost of David Foster Wallace in Central Illinois

Should Illinois celebrate or cancel writer David Foster Wallace?

In 2018, we documented an annual conference devoted to Wallace's work, held in downstate Illinois, where “DFW”, as his fans call him, grew up and worked. Our short documentary - titled Unborable, in reference to one of his books about an Illinois tax center - depicts fans and scholars grappling with his issues of toxic masculinity, sexual harassment and addiction. Should we separate the art from the artist? Is DFW’s writing good enough to warrant the attention? And what does it mean to call Illinois ‘normal’? Watch the 17 minute film here.