One viewing of “High & Low – John Galliano, “a documentary chronicling the impressive rise of British fashion designer John Galliano and his equally jarring fall from grace, should be more than sufficient to convince even the most uneducated of the influence he’s held throughout the industry; bolstered by a plentiful amount of talking head interviews from celebrity associates Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz and an abundance of footage showcasing model after model walking the runway in the apparel he brought to life, it’s clear how the man commanded a wealth of respect and love from those who adorned his garments and knew him as both a designer of inspired attire and a dear friend to those who considered themselves as such. 
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The film utilizes a structured signature of so many similar efforts, seemingly going through the motions as it shows him working his way up the ladder throughout the 1990s, initially as his own brand and through his eventual work with the likes of Dior as his own personality is shown growing alongside his body of work; it’s interesting to see the vast number of shots showing a confident Galliano strutting the catwalk as self-assured as any of the models in his employ. Scenes capturing him directing those same models before their onstage debuts show a man with a varsity-level command of his craft, which, when coupled with footage from an array of red-carpet events in which such supporters as Lenny Kravitz and Nicole Kidman speak highly of the clothing he provided them are about as subtle as a faceplant when it comes to reminding the audience over and over that John Galliano knew precisely what he was doing. 
It’s these moments that make what would eventually happen all the more jarring. The film’s third act segues from a dour Galliano, drowning his sorrows in alcohol following several losses, including his close friend and colleague Steve Robinson as well as his own father Juan, as well as musings about his own self-worth, to several incidents in which an intoxicated Galliano would find himself captured on video making heavily antisemitic remarks starting in 2010 and later revealed to have happened twice more. The fallout and backlash would quickly turn understandably harsh, with not only legal actions being pursued against Galliano but Dior quickly announcing their intentions to part ways with the fashion prodigy effective immediately. His remarks would also spawn a debate about whether Galliano meant every word he drunkenly slurred or if it was simply the alcohol doing the talking. Seeing people come to his defense, which includes legendary runway icon Naomi Campbell as well as numerous psychiatrists and professors, some of whom even experienced firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust, in addition to John’s attempts to determine exactly why he did what he did, take a subject that could’ve been seen by some as fodder for a much shorter film as something that somehow works in the way director Kevin Macdonald has approached his subject. 
When examining “High & Low,“ similar to how John Galliano studied his own career and stumbles, it’s undeniable that the man at the center remains an exuberant, expressive personality with an encyclopedic mind as to his abilities to dress those who seek his services. And while some could view the content at the heart of the by-the-numbers structure as formulaic, almost forgettable as to whether it even needs to exist in the form of a full-length doc, it nonetheless maintains a slight appeal. Even when it tries to swing for the fences as some commentary on what motivates hate speech, it may not always work, but Macdonald does the best with what he’s been given, and that’s enough to warrant a look, at least. [B-]
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