The End of the Pale Hour

Primarily set in 1996 during David Foster Wallace's book tour, the conversations unfold over several days at Wallace's home and on the road. The film also revisits 2010 in a closing montage that recollects the earlier trip. References to 2008 and the suicide of Wallace frame the present-day perspective on their conversations.

Set around the outskirts of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, near Illinois State University, the story unfolds in a quiet Midwestern town that hosts a high-profile author. The setting emphasizes intimate, long-form conversations away from the glare of fame. The trip later shifts to Minneapolis-Saint Paul and the Mall of America during the book tour.

🎭 Fame & Identity

The film probes how sudden literary fame reshapes who Wallace and Lipsky are, and how public perception can obscure private truth. Wallace guards his inner life behind a genial demeanor even as fame presses in. Lipsky's ambition to capture a monumental interview collides with questions about who gets to define a writer's identity, both on and off the page.

💊 Addiction & Vulnerability

Wallace openly or implicitly confronts struggles with alcohol, while rumors of heroin abuse surface, highlighting the personal costs of genius and expectation. The conversations reveal a man wrestling with dependency and the perilous line between candor and self-protection. The dynamic shows how vulnerability can both deepen connection and complicate memory.

🗞️ Journalism & Truth

Lipsky records the interviews with Wallace, negotiating quotes and off-the-record moments, which raises questions about authorship and memory. The film examines the ethics of journalism and how a single conversation can shape a book and a life. Memory, interpretation, and the tension between what is said and what is kept private drive the narrative.