"two years ago, Joaquin Phoenix announced his supposed “retirement” from the world of acting, declaring that he would be focusing on a music career instead"

Two years ago, Joaquin Phoenix announced his supposed “retirement” from the world of acting, declaring that he would be focusing on a music career instead.  I’m Still Here is supposedly an access-all-areas documentary that charts the 12 months of his life post acting and his attempts to break into the hip hop scene whilst looking suspiciously like The Unibomber.

It’s directed by Casey Affleck, Phoenix’s brother in law, but that doesn’t mean the film pulls any punches, Affleck seemingly having no qualms about showing Joaquin doing coke off a hooker’s breasts, vomiting copiously into the toilet and being defecated upon by his disgruntled personal assistant.

The question of whether or not this is a hoax is largely irrelevant – it makes amusing viewing regardless of its veracity and Affleck and Phoenix have created a largely entertaining beast, if one that is shamelessly self-indulgent.  It also works on many levels – as an elaborate practical joke, as a satire of Hollywood egomania and as a black comedy of embarrassment or, if taken seriously, a documentary charting an actor in the middle of a full-on mental breakdown.

Phoenix himself rambles on and on about the creative process and looks a completely dishevelled mess, like Zach Galifianakis would look if he stopped bathing or shaving for three weeks.  When we first see him, he’s doing the mop up press for what would be his last film Two Lovers (a lacklustre drama in which he starred opposite Gwyneth Paltrow), which eventually leads to a shambolic performance on The Late Show With David Letterman and gains instant publicity.

There’s no going back now it seems, Phoenix becoming a laughing stock in the film world and so begins a desperate attempt to forge a rap career.  This leads to some hilarious sequences including one where he says to Mos Def with a straight face that he wants to make a “Hip hop Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Unfortunately, he has about as much rapping talent as PJ and Duncan but, surrounded by yes men, decides that the missing ingredient would be collaboration with Sean “Diddy” Combs.  

Their eventual meeting is the highlight of the film, Diddy nodding while staring off into the distance before angrily asking, “Are you like, doing this as a joke?”  - A question that will bug you as an audience member throughout.

At the beginning of the film Joaquin makes a comment about acting.  He states that acting is not about self-expression like many people assume because a director tells you where to stand, what to say and what to wear and therefore any notion of freedom is false and hence a documentary is the only way in which you could make a movie shorn of these conceits. I’m Still Here as a mockumentary therefore raises some interesting questions.  What is true?  And does it matter?

Regardless of what you think of it, Phoenix’s performance is remarkable, from the bloated weight gain, unkempt facial hair and systematic public destruction of his own career, it’s almost a study of how far one can push method acting.  Or a practical joke.