The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick

Perennially popular sci-fi author Philip K. Dick receives affectionate remembrances from friends, fans, and fellow writers in this flattering portrait. Perhaps best known for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Dick died in early 1982--just a few months before the film adaptation, Blade Runner, was released. Refraining from any serious critique of his works, the documentary touches on Dick's basic themes, such as the nature of reality and what it means to be human. ("Would a properly constructed android know it was one?") Focusing more on the author's personal demons, including the acute paranoia likely induced by his drug taking, this labor-of-love production gives a better feel for the quirky but well-liked writer than his "visionary" ideas. Lacking any videotaped footage of Dick himself, the filmmakers combine low-tech animation with voiceover excerpts from an old audiotaped interview, which provide a respite from numerous talking heads, and some onscreen narrative set to cheesy electronic music. Information on a newsletter, two websites, and a librarian's introduction to the author's archives at the University of California at Fullerton, are also included. Primarily of interest to diehard Dick fans, this is definitely an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (T. Rich)