Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

Laurent Bouzereau does a fine job of directing this relatively straightforward look at Natalie’s life and times, but it’s Natasha, who was just 11 when her mother died, who is the on-camera guide.

If you’re as fascinated with Wood’s life and career as we are, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind will be a font of information you may not have already known about. But it certainly isn’t a place to get the definitive account of her death, because even those most intimately involved with her have no idea what happened.

Produced by her daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind is lovingly constructed with a child's heart, but falters in places that could have benefited from a journalist's eye. As is, this HBO documentary about the gone-too-soon star feels like a lovely valentine to her mother, but still plays like a Hallmark card where it requires more edge.

Like the subject herself, the documentary makes for appealing and congenial company, with lively clips and an abundance of hitherto-unseen homemade material, Still, it’s all more agreeable than it is compelling, despite the romantic melodrama and dreadful ending.

An HBO documentary, directed with conventional flair by Laurent Bouzereau, who made it with the cooperation (and therefore, to a degree, the control) of Wood’s family members. ... “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” is not the definitive, investigative, leave-no-stone-unturned-and-set-the-record-straight chronicle that you’d want, and expect, from HBO. The film’s presentation of the tragedy is perfectly straightforward (and not necessarily wrong), but it leaves you with the same nagging questions that have haunted this case forever.

For classic film fans who consume any Old Hollywood media, “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” is light on new revelations — but is a sweet eulogy from a daughter to her mother. Go in knowing who’s controlling the narrative and you’ll get what is expected.

The mystery of her demise looms over this reclamation project like low-hanging storm clouds, and the film suffers from its decision to avoid looking up unless it has to.