I'm Still Here

Some people are still ticked over Casey Affleck's pseudo-documentary about the emotional meltdown of brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix, who supposedly retired from acting and struggled to establish himself as a rapper. The duo and their confederates staged the psychodrama as if were completely real, before later revealing that everything was an elaborate hoax, prefabricated to play out in front of the media as well as Phoenix and Affleck's private cameras—recording not only the actor's purported descent but the world's fascination with it. When critics and others discovered they'd been had, some felt badly treated. But I'm Still Here is actually a brilliant piece of performance art, which incorporates enough clues to reveal its true nature to perceptive viewers. Now, one wonders about the spontaneity of the infamous David Letterman segment in which Phoenix appeared “in character” and the host ribbed him mercilessly. But even with the cat out of the bag, it's still interesting to speculate about what's real and what's staged. The bottom line, however, is that the film is both utterly riveting and often emotionally disturbing, raising provocative issues about celebrity, media culture, the movie business, and even documentary filmmaking itself. One of the best cinematic puzzles to ever grace the silver screen, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first with filmmaker Casey Affleck, subject Joaquin Phoenix, and other participants; the second with Affleck), deleted scenes (63 min.), an alternate ending with outtakes (7 min.), an interview with Phoenix by Jerry Penacoli of Extra (6 min.), two audio conversations (the first with Penacoli, Affleck, and Phoenix; the second with journalism professor Christine Spines, Affleck, and Phoenix), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning pseudo-documentary.] (F. Swietek)