Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2012

A few years ago, Joaquin Phoenix decided to stop making movies. I’m probably not alone in wishing he had done so before making this one, a supposed documentary by brother-in-law Casey Affleck chronicling his downward spiral into irrelevance (and hip-hop infamy). There’s been some controversy about the questionable nature of all this. Part of me believes it to be a hoax, another part thinks it’s true. But 100 percent of me doesn’t really care, because either way it’s an ugly sit. Also sad, painful, foul-mouthed, screaming, tedious, sniveling and pointless. I can’t wait to see what he does next.