Examined Life
Dir Astra Taylor. 87 min. Real to Reel.
BY Jason Anderson
September 02, 2008 20:09
Appropriate given this doc’s heady subject matter and cast of academic heavy-hitters, this philosophy primer works better in theory than practice. The problem is that director Astra Taylor devotes an equal amount of screentime to her eight different interview subjects but only a few of these philosophy all-stars really bring their A-game during the movie’s scenic series of walk-and-talks. In other words, there’s a surplus of bafflegab. Yet Examined Life is worth your consideration thanks to Peter Singer’s provocative thoughts on the wealthy’s “moral obligations” to support the poor, plus a tour of a trash heap conducted by the reliably bonkers Slavoj Zizek.
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