The Elvis of Culture Theory
See a Special Sneak Preview of the New Documentary
About Renowned Philosopher Slavoj Zizek
by Patrick Franklin

Let's face it. Intellect doesn't always get a good rap in our culture. Whereas in most situations, we might expect to roll our eyes at a blatantly stupid remark, we more often than not find ourselves scoffing at any thought that may very well be boldly intelligent. We think that the academic world is very insular and that any person with stratospheric intelligence inevitably launches him or herself over the moon and right past common sense. It's certainly not without justification. Anyone who's ever braved a peek at the canon of modern thought might understandably query if these writers have ever set foot outside of their caves. Why does one need so many commas and semicolons for a single sentence, we might ask.

Living in the Real World

Thankfully, for those who like intellectual nourishment but also appreciate relevancy, there is a new type of thinker on the rise. Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian born philosopher and culture theorist has recently garnered much attention for his unorthodox style of intellectual discourse. He doesn't live in a cave. He lives and breathes and thinks in the real world, where movies, novels, television, candy, puppy dogs, and Pokémon make up the environment in which we exist. Zizek is the type of thinker that, when he speaks of Marx, one must first prompt for clarification — Karl or Groucho? He's interested in both, and this is undoubtedly a type of person many of us would like to meet. Fortunately, there is a new documentary entitled Zizek! that allows us to do just that. Directed by Cedar Shoals High School alum and UGA graduate Astra Taylor, Zizek! follows the eccentric philosopher around the world attempting to keep up with his mile-a-minute thought processes. Though the film will not officially be premiered until fall or perhaps even next year, Athens is being granted two early preview screenings of the film this week. What we will see will be very near the final product, with a few minor technical enhancements still to be made.

All About The Documentary Campaign

Zizek! was produced by the Documentary Campaign, the New York-based non-profit organization responsible for last year's Persons of Interest, for which Astra Taylor was an associate producer. That film is an examination of the government mistreatment of immigrants after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "The Documentary Campaign is the brainchild of veteran screenwriter Lawrence Konner (Mona Lisa Smile, Planet of the Apes)," says Taylor, who was connected to Konner's wife through an old employer. "[Konner] wanted to start a non-profit company that's main goal was to make political films that were also art films." Zizek!, the follow-up to Persons of Interest, keeps with that overall goal in that it is a "left-wing movie, without a doubt" says Taylor. Zizek's politics and critiques are for the most part ones that the Documentary Campaign would like to advance.

The Genesis of a Young Filmmaker

I first met Astra Taylor when I was a new student at Cedar Shoals High School. She was in my first period English class sophomore year, and I remember her being particularly charismatic, particularly smart and particularly tall. Of course, everyone was tall to me back then. I remember that she had a certain way of making people feel comfortable even in the way she simply said hello. It's no surprise that she's found success doing important work at such a young age.

Taylor graduated from the University of Georgia with an interdisciplinary BA in social theory and philosophy, after which she headed to New York City to earn her Masters in Social Research from the New School. She took to filmmaking in the manner of a headfirst dive. Though she had no formal training in film or video, she and a friend ventured to Senegal in the summer of 2001 to make a documentary about infant malnutrition. It was six weeks of shooting and four months of editing. It was a learn-by-doing adventure and set her instantly on a new path.

The idea for Zizek! came about because Lawrence Konner thought it would be interesting to do a series of films about intellectuals. Taylor made a list of several candidates, but she kept coming back to Zizek. "Slavoj really stood out. There had just been a huge profile on him published in the New Yorker, so it was obvious that his star was on the rise. And, I knew him. I had worked for two years at Verso Books, his main publisher. I knew that he was incredibly charismatic and captivating in person, but also that he was accessible and fun."

An Academic Rock Star

Slavoj Zizek has been called "the Elvis of culture theory" and "an academic rock star." I would think it compliment enough to be called the Elvis of anything, but to be credited with bridging the gap between popular culture and academia is something of a milestone. Before becoming a philosopher, Zizek long wanted to be a filmmaker, and though his second love ultimately won over, film has been one of his greatest influences as a theorist. He utters thoughts on Fight Club or The Matrix with the same amount of vigor he would for his heroes such as Lacan or Hegel.

Zizek is not only important because of his accessibility, but because of his ceaseless energy, his desire to leave no stone unturned. Zizek the thinker can be likened to the photographer who happens upon something interesting, snaps a picture from where he stands, then continues walking around the subject snapping more and more pictures with every step. Finally, he has come full circle with a completely different understanding of the original perspective because he now knows what it looks like from the other side — from every side. Zizek relishes contradiction and is not ashamed of self-contradiction. It's as if proof is irrelevant and thinking is not means to a thought but rather an end in and of itself. Sometimes Zizek thinks faster than he can speak. Sometimes he speaks faster than he can think. The words stampede out of his mouth, his jaws like a bellows that tends to a never-ending fire. A peculiar but engaging character with a distinct manner of speaking, his voice reminding one of John Leguizamo's sloth character in Ice Age, it doesn't matter if you agree with what he's saying. It doesn't matter if you even understand what he's saying. He's just interesting to listen to. Taylor says, "The movie is relentless in that it really is about philosophy and we don't give the viewer much of a break. But then, it is also really funny. I promise, people will laugh out loud."

Athens music fans will be interested to know that the score for the film was composed by Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes whose current musical outfit is called A Hawk and a Hacksaw. When Taylor heard Barnes' frantic pounding of the piano keys, she thought to herself, "That's what it must sound like in Zizek's brain!"