I'm Still Here

Over the span of roughly a year, I'm Still Here charts the volatile life of Joaquin Phoenix as he steps away from film stardom and begins a drastic pivot toward hip hop. The film is framed as a fly on the wall chronicle, granting intimate access to studio sessions, late night appearances, and public conversations that capture a man under intense scrutiny. It reshapes the idea of a career shift by foregrounding lived experience over conventional biopic drama, inviting us to watch a man confronted by cameras and critics as he makes a decision that is public from the start. In doing so it asks what courage looks like when a choice plays out in front of the world, with friends, fans, and the media weighing in at every turn.

Directed by Casey Affleck, the film is presented as a candid documentary style project created around Joaquin Phoenix's actions. It originates as an original concept rather than an adaptation, with Phoenix and collaborators pursuing a dramatic reinvention that blurs the line between reality and performance.

I'm Still Here sparked debate about authenticity in celebrity culture and the ethics of documentary storytelling. It unsettled audiences by provoking questions about reality versus performance, fame's influence on art, and how the public constructs a narrative around a real person.

Critical response was mixed, split between praise for its audacity and frustration with its apparent deception. The film explores identity under pressure, the costs of public life, and the tension between private truth and the persona a star projects to stay relevant. It remains a provocative look at how fame reshapes art and the person behind the public face.