Day 80- Movie 73. Examined Life (2008)

I don't watch documentaries very often, but I've generally impressed with the genre. Documentaries are typically made with care by people who are passionate about the subject being examined. They are a terrific way to entertain, but also to inform. With that in mind, I was excited about watching Examined Life, a film that turns the camera on some of the most well known philosophers today, and lets them wax on about subjects dear to their heart. I was excited to watch a thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating film. Unfortunately, this movie sucks.

The biggest problem I have is not with the content, but with the way the movie was filmed. Director Astra Taylor is not a very good filmmaker. The movie is structured around seven or eight philosophers, who have about 10 minutes each to talk about something they care about in the field of philosophy. This part is fine. However, Taylor films them while walking down busy streets in NYC, riding in a car, walking along a lake, etc. The problem is that this is very visually distracting. I was trying to listen to people convey some very brainy, difficult to grasp concepts while hearing background noise and watching people walk past, occasionally looking at the camera, or any of a hundred other things people do. It was so, so hard to stay focused because my eyes were pulled around the screen. I thought this ruined the movie.

There were, though, other issues. The quality of the interviews are not all the same. Some interviews were poignant and fascinating to listen to- others were dry, all over the place, and otherwise impossible to follow (perhaps not for people smarter than I, but I got lost). Several scenes are nearly unwatchable. I wish these philosophers were more interested in trying to educate, and less interested in trying to sound as intellectual as possible. These interviewees might be brilliant, but brilliance alone is not enough. They need to be able to communicate effectively, especially to someone without a PhD in philosophy. I'm not trying to suggest they should dumb down their message, but talking over most people's level of intellect is not a positive thing. I got bored easily.

I do appreciate that this film got me thinking about some of the more esoteric, abstract elements of what it means to be a thinking, rational human. I appreciate intellect, and these philosophers obviously have it. There were some very fascinating thought exercises going on here, and it is nice to see passionate people speak intelligently about something they care so much about. I have no doubt that this movie probably kills in philosophy PhD classes. Unfortunately, for the common man, this movie is inaccessible, boring, and distracting. I love the idea of this film, I simply hated the execution.

For this reason, I'm giving Examined Life a 5/10, and I have to say that this is one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen. For a remarkably consistent genre, this one stands out as a complete miss. Director Astra Taylor certainly created something here, but it's not something for which I want any part. This movie could have been powerful and influential. Instead, it's stodgy, boring and pretentious.