Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, The September Issue scores 7/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Ending (Below Average).
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
The September Issue offers an intimate behind-the-scenes look at Vogue and Anna Wintour, elevated significantly by the compelling presence of creative director Grace Coddington, who steals every scene. The access granted is genuinely revealing and Wintour's enigmatic persona makes for fascinating viewing. However, the narrative arc is thin — it's essentially a fly-on-the-wall portrait without much dramatic structure or resolution, making the ending feel anticlimactic. Cinematography is competent but not visually inventive for a film ostensibly about visual artistry. Its novelty lies mainly in the access and Coddington's charisma rather than any groundbreaking documentary filmmaking approach.