Review of I'm Still Here (2010) by James K — 21 Oct 2010

I'm rating this film not on it's actual quality as a "documentary," but on the performance of Joaquin Phoenix, who more or less had to live two lives in order to pull off what is now referred to as a hoax. Say what you will about the "hoax," but the acting Phoenix does is a remarkable feat. I wish I had seen this film before it was publicly revealed to be fake, because what I saw just might have convinced me that it was real. Yes, I know that Phoenix was out of character a lot during the 1.5+ years the documentary was in the making, the amount of dedication that he had is astounding. Many will judge him and Casey Affleck for calling their film "art" or a "new" type of acting, but I disagree. The concept, I believe, is brilliant, and the performance is unrelenting and merciless. I hope that the Academy can put aside all disagreements on the films overall quality and nominate Phoenix for what is undoubtedly a brave and innovative performance.

One more thing: Yes, I know Andy Kaufman did the same kind of thing, but this is different. Trust me.