14 DAY TRIAL // For more than a year now, reports about Joaquin Phoenix’s mental health have been making the rounds non-stop. The actor announced in January 2009 that he’d be quitting acting to pursue a career in rap instead, presumably inspired by the wonderful critical reception he got for his singing on “Walk the Line.” The result of those 12 months trying to cut it as a rapper is a documentary called “I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix” that no distributor dares touch right now because of its content, says the Los Angeles Times.
In all fairness, ever since Phoenix started doing public events with director Casey Affleck in tow, who also happened to be equipped with a camera or even bring along a camera crew, speculation was high that he might be shooting a mockumentary in the manner of Sacha Baron Cohen with his “Borat” and “Bruno.” Whether that was the plan is not yet known, but what is certain is that what came out is not something for the faint of heart – or with a weak stomach, for that matter.
“Even after seeing the documentary ‘I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix’ in a private screening earlier this week, film buyers still aren’t sure of its genuineness. Was the ‘Walk the Line’ and ‘Gladiator’ star, who said more than a year ago that he was quitting acting to become a musician, playing a sophisticated prank, or did he really ditch his Oscar-nominated career to become a disheveled rapper? Agents at William Morris Endeavor, the sellers of the Casey Affleck-directed film, have started showing the movie to potential distributors, and while some were apparently interested in bidding for ‘I’m Still Here’s’ distribution rights, the shoppers left the screening perhaps even more mystified by Phoenix’s behavior than when they walked in,” the LA Times says of how distributors reacted to a first viewing of the film.
“The documentary – or is it a mockumentary? – also includes Phoenix’s infamous appearance on ‘The Late Show With David Letterman,’ in which the bearded and bloated actor barely spoke, leaving Letterman bewildered if not infuriated and people wondering about Phoenix’s mental health. The buyers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Phoenix comes off unsympathetically and shows very little talent for music in the movie, directed by his brother-in-law (Affleck is married to Summer Phoenix). Sales agent WME declined to comment,” the report goes on to say.
There are also those who believe the film is Joaquin Phoenix creating his best piece of performance art ever, because it translates into a prank on the audience, but they are too few and equally afraid to gamble by purchasing distribution rights for it. Not only does the film include scenes in which Phoenix is seen experimenting with drugs, but also images which we can’t even mention here. If “I’m Still Here” does come out, it will probably do so only on DVD – or with a solid NC-17 rating.