So just exactly what happened to Joaquin Phoenix, the well-respected Hollywood star that suddenly grew a beard, attempted rap and gave mumbling non-interviews over twelve months?
The actor’s documentary, I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix, had it’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival last night with director and fellow actor Casey Affleck (brother of Ben) insisting his feature is ‘no hoax’.
When Phoenix began his extraordinary fall from grace in 2007, many suspected his attention-seeking antics were either a publicity ploy or a genuine mental breakdown, though the former was heavily favoured once word reached that the bearded actor wasbeing filmed for an upcoming documentary.
“There’s no hoax,” Affleck told reporters last night. “The idea of a hoax makes me think of Candid Camera and that never entered my consciousness.” Affleck did, however, admitting that certain aspects of the movie may be artificial, further deeping the mystery of I’m Still Here’s authenticity. “I can understand why this movie can be confusing in terms of what’s real and what’s not,”
According to British broadsheet The Independent, the finished article is by turns ‘infuriating’ and ‘inscrutable’. We won’t have to wait too long to find out for ourselves – I’m Still Here goes on general release September 17. We’ve embedded the equally inscrutable trailer below.
