Hollywood's loosest cannon goes to war in the most public way, courtesy of Casey Affleck...

What could possibly go wrong when Joaquin Phoenix changes career from a highly acclaimed Hollywood actor into a hip-hop artist? Unsurprisingly, a lot. I’m Still Here shows the journey Phoenix goes on in a seemingly no-holds-barred fashion, including him snorting drugs, using prostitutes and making an idiot out of himself on David Letterman’s chat show.

But that’s not all, Phoenix is angry that the world has turned its back on him and turned him into a national joke, and with Ben Stiller inevitably the ringleader, after JP pushes Ben too far during a meeting for a new film. Stiller gets his revenge and turns up at the Oscars sporting a beard, sunglasses, and chewing gum in a nonchalant fashion and ‘retiring from being the funny man’ which just seems to make everything worse for Phoenix.

In a car crash kind of fashion, this film dares you not to watch, and it’s impossible - even when Phoenix gets defecated on while he’s sleeping by his friend who has been bullied incessantly over his former life as an alcoholic. When the deed is done you almost want to cheer! If JP’s not blaming others for his complete inability to find success in this industry he’s raging about something else. This paired with his mediocre rap performances makes the documentary challenging to watch. The viewer is constantly questioning what on earth will happen next with Phoenix’s explosive temper, insane narcissism and self obsession.

This documentary is Casey Affleck’s directorial debut, and it is cleverly-edited, introducing Joaquin Phoenix through home videos before using television clips to show some of the worst moments in his career. The documentary goes full circle and ends exactly where it started, but reflects the contrast between the young, optimistic and carefree child to the drug-addled, broken-down mess that he has become. It's an effective pace, and leaves you asking ‘what next for Joaquin Phoenix?’

"The only certain thing about this documentary is that it’s Marmite. You’ll either love it or hate it with a passion"

It’s been suggested that this documentary is a hoax, and in a press conference Casey Affleck said: ‘I sincerely don't want to influence people's interpretation. I can tell you there is no hoax.’ But later goes on to confirm that Sean 'Diddy' Combs' role was an ‘act.’ So it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake.

If it’s fake, then it shows Joaquin Phoenix at his finest – assuming the ‘role’ of JP throughout. This is compelling stuff. It leaves you believing with utter conviction that this is how he really is, and it makes you feel angry, frustrated and also weirdly a bit sorry for him, even though he shows himself to have some serious anger issues and he seems to alienate himself from the people he needs the most. Throughout the whole documentary you want him to say ‘Haha, only joking, I’ve been playing a part all the way through this just to make a point.’

And even without him doing that, it does make a point – an extremely valid one. It discusses the notion of reinventing yourself in the public eye, and questions whether it’s even possible to do. It shows how open celebrities are to ridicule and how hungry we are to see people fail or come off the rails, as he appears to do in this. Whether or not this film is real or fake, it won’t do him any favours in Hollywood, or indeed anywhere else, as the manner in which he portrays himself, or indeed how he acts, is not something that anyone would want to work with. He has to come out and say it, otherwise it's bye bye career, hello rehab.

The only certain thing about this documentary is that it’s Marmite. You’ll either love it or hate it with a passion but either way, it’s something which will cause fierce debate among moviegoers and Phoenix fans alike.

I'm Still Here is released in the UK on the 17th of September

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