Rocker-poet Patti Smith helped define the alternative music scene of the 1980s, but personal and professional troubles stalled her career. Steven Sebring's film avoids tabloid pop-doc clichés in favor of a stream-of-consciousness portrait of a complex, thoughtful musician. It begins in 1995 with the recording of Smith's album "Gone Again" and her tour with Bob Dylan, and chronicles 11 years of this fascinating artist's life and work. Tom Verlaine, Sam Shepard, Philip Glass.