But all that turned out to be tangential: during his final year, Williams suffered from Lewy body dementia, a painful neurological disorder. The physical and mental suffering (which included insomnia, depression, and cognitive decline) baffled him and those close to him, and eventually pushed him over the brink.

The movie does a conscientious though far from inspired job of illuminating the wider context of Williams' end. Directed by cinematographer Tylor Norwood, this film is of limited use as a biography of the entertainer, and even though the project wasn't meant to fulfill that mandate, it's still frustrating how little insight it gives into Williams' brilliance. Millions loved him from the second he burst into stardom on "Mork and Mindy." His career continued to evolve after that, establishing him as a first-rate film comedic and dramatic actor and a mentor to up-and-coming performers. "Robin's Wish" avoids most of that, instead concentrating on the final years of his life after he settled in Marin County, California, with his third wife Susan Schneider, the movie's central character and storyteller.

The stories of Williams' suffering are illuminating and disturbing. David E. Kelley, who produced Williams' final TV series "The Crazy Ones," and Shawn Levy, who directed his performance as Teddy Roosevelt in the "A Night in the Museum" films detail bouts of desperation, sluggishness, and memorization problems. The production crew of both projects treated the actor's issues discreetly, but it seems obvious that everyone in his orbit, including Schneider, is still traumatized by his death, and carries an unfounded but understandable load of guilt. Whenever anyone dies the way Williams died, loved ones' first question is always, "Could I have done anything to prevent this?" Even when the answer is no, the question still gnaws.

Although "Robin's Wish" is ultimately unwilling or unable to really grapple with the agony of those left behind after suicide, it is a compassionate film that will bring information about Williams' condition to a wide audience. And it has many sections that are deeply moving, including those dealing with his performances for troops overseas, his commitment to a local playhouse's open mic night, and his long friendship with actor Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in a riding accident. Williams completists will definitely want to see it.

Now available on digital platforms.

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