And why is this film such a cult favourite?

Over a decade before "The Jerry Springer Show" was 'Grey Gardens,' a documentary of truly questionable character by Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles' previous documentaries included the great 'Salesman' and the opportunistic 'Gimme Shelter,' which would have otherwise been a mundane concert film, were it not for the infamous murder that occurred during the performance.

Here, the Brothers and their collaborators must have had many a good laugh at their subjects' expense, as the description "warts-and-all" does not begin to cover it. This movie revels in the warts.

The subjects of this documentary are "Big" Edith Bouvier Beale, 79, and her daughter, "Little" Edie, Jr., 56, aunt and cousin, respectively, of former first lady Jacki-O. They are living in squalor in their East Hampton mansion, living in their respective and collective pasts, dwelling on their failures and reliving the long-dead promises of their youths. Mama, who rarely moves beyond her bed and is oblivious to the decay around her, still carries herself like a well-to-do dilettante and sings old Broadway standards; Edie, Jr. struts around like she's 20 years old and thinks the young man who does odd jobs around their home "just wants sex" from her. Mama wears only a bath towel throughout most of the film. In one scene, it falls off. Mercifully, the camera pulls away.

All of this is initially fascinating, even poignant. But these two women are ultimately show-offs and, given their total lack of self-awareness, probably didn't require much convincing to agree to this project. Edie, Jr. addresses the Maysles during the film in a way that suggests she believes they are giving her that long-overdue "big break," which implies a degree of deceit toward these people on the filmmakers' behalves.

That initial fascinations faded pretty quickly after an hour, when I personally felt as though I'd spent all the time I needed to spend with these two women, in their oppressive and rotting home. The tone of their behavior and interaction is so sustained, there is nothing further to learn by watching them. There's just Edie and Edie, Jr., without any other personalities to strike a balance, and the viewer begins to feel engulfed by the disorganization and filth of their home. The movie finally disintegrates into a freak show of sublime absurdity. We watch as these two shrill, diseased human beings, tragic as they are, bicker, talk simultaneously, shout simultaneously, exchange insults, wax vain. Edie, Sr. sings. Edie, Jr. dances. Edie, Sr. sings some more. They eat ice cream. The Maysles' camera lingers over the carton, and stomachs turn. Meanwhile, no mention is given of Jackie O.

It's clear that the filmmakers are not merely condescending to these subjects, but exploiting them, and expecting viewers to find it all quite delicious, given that they're kin to an icon that Americans have generally come to regard as the epitome of grace and class. I think this is a sensational and depressing experience, though.

I was speechless and devastated after my first viewing of this - many parts of 'Grey Gardens' are very funny and unbelievably surreal - documentary of not, this really gives Fellini or David Lynch a run for their money in the weirdsville sweepstakes. I kept focusing on how these women (who are clinically way beyond eccentric) reveal their own humanity in the most surprising of ways, and I wonder whether their retreat from the world was prompted by something beyond the stuffiness of life in the unreal blue-blood universe, perhaps some abuse, or perhaps simply a streak of defiance and rebellion that spiralled out of their control and took on a life of its' own. This might be one of the greatest ever films that comes dangerously close to exploitation - as the Edies do their thing, I kept noting things like the empty gin bottles in the rubble-strewn bedroom, cats urinating on the bed, racoons emerging from holes in the walls, and the final scene seemed incredibly sad - like a child's birthday party gone seriously wrong. Very definitely worth seeing and seeking out - you'll never forget it, but very disturbing.