10/28/17. Oh my, what if Griffin Dunne didn't do this biopic when he did? Didion is now in her early 80s and it's amazing why there wasn't one done before this one. Such a celebrated writer and screenwriter finally got what she deserved. While well-known her private life was filled with tragedy, from the sudden death of her husband and early death of her only daughter at 39. Her book, The Year of Magical Thinking, is perhaps the best book ever about how those left behind deal with the death of a loved one. That book and this movie are worth catching.