I Am

A documentary in which a director sets out with his own question. Tom Shadyac made big-budget comedies, earned a great deal and lived in a large house. He has a cycling accident and cannot recover from the head trauma for a long time; he cannot bear light or sound and spends months in the dark. When he recovers he changes his life: he sells the house, moves somewhere small and decides to make a documentary. In the film he asks two questions: what is wrong with the world and what can we do about it. Looking for answers he goes to scientists, writers and thinkers. The conversations turn on whether competition is natural, how cooperation appears in biology, the relation between income and happiness, and habits of consumption. The most arguable sections are those presenting scientific experiments; some are offered as proof and that choice was criticised. Among those speaking are Noam Chomsky, Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Coleman Barks and Lynne McTaggart. Tom Shadyac directed and narrates. It was shot with a small crew, which he describes as a deliberate choice. An interesting production for anyone who likes personal documentary and arguments about ideas. For a viewer looking for firm scientific grounding, the film does not support its claims well enough.