And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.—Matthew 19:24
I must say, the more I read about director Tom Shadyac’s new documentary I Am—which will be released in February of 2011—the more intrigued I am to see it.
The back story to I Am is just so oddly unexpected in our culture: In 2007, Shaydyac, the extremely successful director of hit Hollywood comedies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor and Bruce Almighty, decided to sell his multi-million dollar mansion in Pasadena and hired someone to work for him to give away all of his money to the needy. Shadyac, 51, moved into mobile home in a trailer park. What rich person does something like that in today’s America? Shadyac, a devout Catholic, did. (Contemplate how difficult it would be for at least ten seconds before you continue reading, won’t you?)
But it still didn’t make him happy. Then Shadyac had a bad accident on his bike, causing a broken hand and a concussion. He suffered from “post-concussion syndrome,” which can bring on severe depression, even suicide. Months later, when he recovered he set out to make I Am, which explores why our culture is so competitive instead of cooperative. He flew around the world (coach!) to record interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, the late Howard Zinn and many others.
Here’s the official trailer for I Am:
Below, an interesting post-screening Q&A with Shadyac about the film.