Joaquin Phoenix is a fantastic actor, witness his work in Gladiator and Walk the Line for proof of this. However his latest effort, I’m Still Here, has all the makings of car-crash cinema, with the half-chance that it’s actually brilliant.
They say there’s a fine line between genius and insanity and from the looks of this new trailer I think it’s safe to say that Phoenix is straddling it.
This curious mock/documentary of a year in the life of Phoenix as he attempts to become a rapper, is brought to us by Casey Affleck, star of Gone Baby Gone, who makes his directorial début here.
Synopsis:
I’m Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the documentary follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
I’m torn between the abject fear of watching this and sheer curiosity to see what in the name of all creation is going on. It’s out September 10th in the US, with no confirmed Irish release date.
