Philosopher queen

Astra Taylor on Examined Life, her
documentary deep-thinker roundtable

WALKING AND TALKING: Slavoj Zizek

by MATTHEW HAYS

Astra Taylor recalls the scene as one of the most excruciating of her life. It was three years ago, at Hot Docs, the increasingly important international documentary film festival that runs annually in Toronto. A big part of the event is an industry-related pitch session, where aspiring filmmakers can bring their projects to the table, and a group of pros can assess their worth and offer their critiques.

But things didn’t go so well for Taylor, who was pitching the idea of a film in which several prominent philosophers discussed their central concepts. “Every single person at the table shot me down,” she recalls now, with a laugh. “They all said it would be unpitchable, that no producer would bite. My pitch was seen as the big failure of the weekend. Random strangers were coming up to me days later to say, ‘Oh, poor philosophy girl, I’m so sorry!’”

Which recalls that old line about getting the last laugh. Taylor would go on to get funding for her project, gathered up a gaggle of intriguing philosophers, and film the unfilmable: a living, engaging, funny and invigorating movie about philosophy, Examined Life.

The title is drawn from Socrates’ proclamation that the unexamined life is not worth living. Here, Taylor brings together some of the world’s most complex thinkers, who discuss their ideas while in some form of movement—walking down the street, shopping, taking a taxi ride. Cornel West, Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek (subject of Taylor’s 2005 doc Zizek!) and Judith Butler, among others, all make their respective cases. “I really like the idea of a philosophy ensemble piece,” says Taylor. “I’m always excited by the idea of translating ideas into film. It was such a compelling challenge—to take these ideas out of the ivory tower and bring them into the street.”

Crucial epiphanies

The idea for Examined Life began as a proposal years ago while Taylor was an undergraduate student at McGill. She jotted it all down while sipping on a coffee at the Café Esperanza (now known as le Cagibi). “Then I put it in a drawer.” Years later, she would talk up the concept with Toronto-based doc guru Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential, Grass), who loved the project and said he wanted to exec produce. “Someone said to me, you two should really meet. You’ll really get along. Sure enough, we did—Ron and I both love counterculture. And I had seen his film Dream Tower, which was all about progressive thinking around education in the ’60s and ’70s, which I grew up with.”

As Taylor pondered the possibilities of philosophy coming to life on film, she was hit with a crucial epiphany: what if each philosopher was kept moving while talking up their ideas? “When people are nervous, often they just need a walk. I thought of Socrates roaming around and raising hell with his ideas. I thought of Nietzsche’s statement, that the only great ideas arrive during walks, and of Kierkegaard’s melancholic ramblings around Copenhagen.”

Thus each of Taylor’s subjects is given a way to move about while espousing their theories. “Camera movement is a basic tool for filmmakers,” says Taylor, inadvertently echoing Roger Corman’s advice to filmmakers, to keep either things on camera or the camera itself moving at all times. “I liked the idea of ethical spectacles. And of the kinetic energy this would create—it would allow for accidents I could never foresee.”

Singer talks of our collective addiction to consumption while strolling down New York’s Fifth Avenue—which gives the sense of window shopping with someone who disdains the impulse. Butler talks about second-hand shopping while going to a second-hand boutique with Taylor’s own sister, Sunaura Taylor, a disabled visual artist.

Taylor said there were no specific models for Examined Life, but does cite several vital influences. “I thought of My Dinner With Andre, and also Black Sun, Gary Tarn’s film about a blind artist. I also loved Ten, Abbas Kiarostami’s take on various women’s lives in Iran. The way he filmed so much of it in a moving car was really intriguing.”

And now, the rewards. Examined Life keeps getting rave reviews wherever it screens, and crowds keep coming out. “My expectations really weren’t very high on this,” Taylor says. “I mean, it’s a film about philosophy. But the enthusiasm for the movie extends far beyond philosophy majors. People are very positive about it, and the word of mouth has been extensive. It’s very cool.”

EXAMINED LIFE OPENS THIS FRIDAY,
APRIL 3