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What killed Anthony Bourdain?
“Roadrunner” sheds light on the sad end of a triumphant life
Anthony Bourdain spent his life looking for something. When he ended that life, not having found it, I was left looking for it too.
I watched Roadrunner last night hoping for clues as to what it might have been, and to answer other questions… What was “Tony” really like? What led to his horrific, final choice? How could a personal hero have done this not only to his fans, or even himself, but to a daughter he clearly loved?
The film, made by Bourdain’s longtime collaborator Morgan Neville, doesn’t offer easy answers. It sheds light, though, on the man the Times called a “chef, sensualist, addict, world traveler,” and, above all, “writer.”
It’s a stretch to say I enjoyed the film, but I did find it satisfying. Like a good wake, it’s a chance to celebrate his life, spend time in the company of his memory, and share in the sadness of his tragic loss. It left me feeling shallow for my prurient focus on something to blame for his death, or more properly on…
