Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: the Tomi Ungerer story is a documentary about French illustrator
and writer Jean-Thomas “Tomi” Ungerer. He emigrated from France to the United States in his twenties, and experienced the Golden age of advertising illustrations in NYC. He then stepped into children’s book industry, later flourished in creating political posters. It provides an overview of his creative career is visually and intellectually stimulating. Ungerer’s personal experience put the audience in perspective of his work. For instance, Ungere’s children’s books often have elements of fear, this is due to his childhood experience. This film is true to the artist’s creative process, which is influenced very much by what’s around him. It is amazing to see his journey pursuing what he is interested in, and at the same time, pushing the public’s boundary on the image of a children’s book author–Ungerer was in the middle of the controversy when he did erotic illustrations while famously known as a children’s book author, his books were banned from public libraries at one point.
Ungerer seems very spirited even in his old age, passionate about life and art. The documentary highlights his playful personality. He is an important figure in the world of art and he inspired many artists, including the creator of Where the Wild Things are.

Books by Tomi Ungerer:
The Three Robbers
Fog Island
Oto (in Hebrew)
Crictor (in Italian)
If you like the Better than fiction posts, read another one here:
Better than fiction: Defiant Requiem