I'm Still Here Review

I'm Still Here

Following the announcement that he was to leave Hollywood, and instead launch a career in hip hop, Joaquin Phoenix - star of Gladiator and Walk The Line - decided to coax the mass media into detailing the varying stages of professional and psychological decline.

Entering a period wherein he grew out a scruffy beard and messy bundle of hair, Phoenix looked to P Diddy in a bid to launch a farcical and unrealistic career in hip hop, a far cry from the acting career for which he was so well-remembered.

What follows is a film which at times is hard to watch. Not purely because it portrays a man who seems to have thrown away a majestic career in Hollywood, or because one scene depicts him being shat on by an annoyed friend, but because at times you genuinely feel for Joaquin. A man who previously came across as being incredibly intelligent, modest and extremely likeable is suddenly reduced to a mess of a human being. Delusional in his own 'ability' to rap, seemingly withdrawn and determined to let his life flow down the drain because he feels he was typecast as being a rigid and inflexible personality within Hollywood.

The most famous section of the film is that of his interview with Talk Show legend David Letterman in 2008, whereby Phoenix seems to be absent mentally and unwilling to cooperate in responding in any personable manner. This infamous encounter brought mass attention to the previously rumoured film project, directed by Phoenix's brother-in-law, Casey Affleck. The Internet subsequently questioned Phoenix's state of mind and their mindset was understandable.

Though later revealed - in another Letterman interview no less - to be a hoax, the film does well to explore the often devastating effects of a mental breakdown, especially within a closely-observed industry like Hollywood. With the likes of Britney Spears showing the rest how it's done, I'm Still Here delivers another case study of delusion, misdirection and a general sense of overwhelming hype and expectation. Whilst there is more than a lingering doubt throughout the film as to whether it is indeed all an act, the low-key nature of Phoenix's character in real life makes it somewhat more believable as a showcase. However, the lack of closure, and of any real moral credence, leaves the film feeling a tad undone.

7/10