The final work of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds is a fitting doc about them

While the entertainment world is still reeling from the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds an almost perfectly timed documentary is about to be released that looks at the real life behind these iconic stars.

The documentary Bright Lights started off when Carrie mentioned to her friends Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom that she couldn’t believe that her mother was still performing on stage at 82. That she mentioned that “somebody should be filming her”.  Fisher and Alexis decided to do just that.

Not hip to the documentary film, Debbie was classically trained MGM film star and kept asking the filmmakers for lines and direction.  Eventually, she just started being herself, and it came together.  Even though the film was Carrie’s idea and she was easy in front of the camera, Fisher started to notice “”when she realised we were getting deeper and deeper, you could feel her getting less and less comfortable,” Fisher told The Hollywood Reporter.

Debbie loved the film, especially the parts that showed her in her prime, Carrie, on the other hand, had trouble watching it. Alexis said, “It’s a very intimate film, and she watched it and cried, and we had lots of talks and hand-holding”.  Fisher added, “It was a tribute to her mother in her mind”.  He concluded, “And it was a nice moment for her where she didn’t have to be Princess Leia but could be herself.”

A fitting and timely tribute to two of Hollywood’s greatest that left us too soon.  The documentary airs in the US on Sunday and will be available on the HBO Go app after that.