André Is an Idiot

Tony Benna's documentary follows André Ricciardi, diagnosed with advanced cancer because he never went for a screening. André, who comes from advertising, admits his own mistake openly and decides to record the time he has left. The tone comes out of that admission. André mocks himself constantly; the talk about dying moves between joke and seriousness and the narrative does not soften it. His family and friends appear on camera, and the last stages of the illness are recorded too. The documentary is not built as a warning film, but the matter of a neglected screening stands plainly inside it. Who it's for: those who follow personal documentary and narratives of facing death. Who it's not for: people for whom watching the final stage of an illness would sit heavily; the documentary shows it directly.