New Documentary Seeks to Understand Anthony Bourdain and His Death

“Roadrunner” takes an intimate look at Mr. Bourdain’s career and his struggles, using archival footage and interviews from members of his inner circle.

In 2016, Anthony Bourdain sat back in a leather coach to talk to a therapist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the first time he had gone to a session since his parents sent him to one after catching him with drugs as a teenager. He put on his reading glasses, and went through a list he called “all of my ailments and problems.” “I do tend to have a sort of a manic personality,” he told the therapist, describing how everything could be going great for him, and then at random, he could abruptly shift. “Then, suddenly, one little thing just sort of sets me off.” The scene is a critical point in “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” which opens in theaters on July 16.