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Žižek!

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by Clare Stronge
There have been three documentaries made about Slavoj Žižek to date – a fact that not many Lacanian-Marxist philosophers can boast. But then again, Slovenian thinker Žižek is no ordinary academic. Part bumbling clown and part mad professor, Žižek has been dubbed the 'Elvis of cultural theory', and this documentary certainly proves the zany philosopher has a whole lotta something going on.

Funded by the Documentary Campaign, director Astra Taylor's documentary tracks the philosopher as he races across the globe to deliver philosophy lectures in New York, Buenos Aires, and back home to his flat in the Slovenian capital of Ljubliana. Žižek's manic personality is emphasised by his sibilant staccato speech and sweeping arm gestures as he expounds on his favourite topics at any given time: ideology, belief, revolution and love.
 
While the result is an interesting mixture between a lesson in philosophy and a portrait film, the real meat of the documentary lies in the delicious personal moments glimpsed when the clownish Žižek lets his guard down. For example, despite his worldwide fame, Žižek admits he hates how he looks, and that he never stops talking because he is afraid people will discover there is nothing underneath. Conversely, despite these massive insecurities, Žižek calls his fans 'idiots' and even distractedly apologises to a young male fan in New York who gives him a hug.
 
Though deeply engaging, these revealing moments are not common throughout the film. The intellectual, who has penned more than 50 books on topics such as Freud and Lacanian psychoanalysis, seems to feel a need to constantly perform intellectually in front of the camera. At times there seems little difference between 'Žižek' as he gives a lecture to a crowd of 500 students, and 'Žižek' as he sits alone in bed in his apartment.
 
Luckily, what he has to say when he is ruminating on his favourite topics is genuinely thought-provoking and original. For example, Žižek believes the worst thing people can do is to say: 'We are all human'. In his opinion, saying this reduces humanity to the most basic and redundant similarities such as: 'We all like chocolate'. He also firmly believes that donating to charity is ‘horrible’ because giving someone something for free is actually a way of keeping them indebted to you. Or, as he puts it: ‘Charity is a superego blackmail of gigantic proportions.’ As a bonus, his many philosophical views are nicely supported with clever animation from Molly Schwartz throughout the film, as well as attractive silent movie intertitles.
 
As well as philosophy of the highest calibre, there is plenty of down-to-earth humour in Žižek! When you realise how hyperactive and awkward he can be, his every throwaway remark becomes doused with humour. For example, film buff Žižek faces a wall of DVDs in a store in New York and ecstatically exclaims, 'I just don't get it!' Or the lack of irony when he solemnly explains to the director that his son is ‘narcissistically amused’ while the young boy grins shyly in front of the camera.
 
Slavoj Žižek revealed recently in an interview that he refuses to watch himself on screen. It's a pity, because he's missing an enjoyable night out at the cinema.
Dir. Astra Taylor, USA, 2005, 71 mins

Žižek! is released by ICA Films on Friday 4 May, 2007

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