This week’s subject - IS THE MAN WHO IS TALL HAPPY? – was one of those cinematic outings that definitely fell outside my usually realm of viewing. It is a 2013 French animated documentary film by the amazing Michel Gondry about the philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky, someone whose work I have read over the years in passing but never been all that taken by. It’s true the man has been lauded as a genius, but just not the kind of genius that catches my eye.
This week’s subject -
IS THE MAN WHO IS TALL HAPPY? – was one of those cinematic outings that definitely fell outside my usually realm of viewing. It is
a 2013 French animated documentary film by the amazing Michel Gondry about the philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky, someone whose work I have read over the years in passing but never been all that taken by. It’s true the man has been lauded as a genius, but just not the kind of genius that catches my eye.
The fact that Gondry animated a series of interviews with the esteemed linguist, philosopher, commentator and activist makes for unusual viewing, but the approach mostly works – and unveils a whole new side to the famous name (to me, anyway).
Gondry, best known for films like ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ and ‘The Green Hornet’, has occasionally dipped into the documentary realm over the years, with titles like the huge ‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party’ (in which the comedian hosts a raucous Brooklyn block party) and the considerably more restrained and delicate ‘The Thorn in the Heart’, which sheds light on Gondry’s own family as he follows his aunt Suzette as she comes to terms with her relationship with her gay son. He said at the time of the latter’s release “documentary has an important role to play in cinema. You don’t get to see so much real people on screen, it’s usually about fantasy to try to capture audience attention. To spend an hour and half with this character who is really, deeply human is really refreshing”.
His work IS THE MAN WHO IS TALL HAPPY? is definitely directed towards making Chomsky more deeply human, and at times slightly more likeable. As is usual with all things Chomsky, the series of interviews brings out his analysis of current and recent goings-on in the world, focusing on how U.S. might and knowledge has been misused to advance U.S. interests, not always successfully. You'll either agree or disagree with him at the end of the day, but his extensive reading and definite bent for radical thinking makes you think too – and then think some more.
The doco also covers Chomsky's views on linguistics and evolutionary biology in terms that will (usually) make sense to most lay people. The awkward title refers to a conundrum Chomsky poses in his 1957 book ‘Syntactic Structures’, about how transforming a complex sentence into a question is an operation of instinctive and non-logical grammar. At least, that's how Chomsky patiently explains it to Gondry, who looks on with the puppy dog eyes of a true fanboy.
But what's really new in this film is that we learn from Chomsky about his upbringing, his family, and his life since the death of his wife in 2008. Coming from the man himself and in his own words, it definitely helps round out the portrait of Chomsky more than anything else that I’ve read or watched.
Throughout the documentary are stick-figure cartoons illustrating the points and subjects at hand, which can be both fun and distracting I’m guessing the idea was Gondry’s, and designed to take things away from the usual ‘talking heads’ format of many docos of this type. Like the subject of the film you’ll either love it or hate it, but admire it anyway.
Screening Times:
09/07/2015 8:30pm
10/07/2015 6:55am
12/07/2015 5:05pm
13/07/2015 4:10am
21/08/2015 12:20pm