Is it worth $10? Yes

Joaquin Phoenix had what thousands of waiters, valet attendants and various other dreamers would give anything to achieve: He was a movie star.

And then he pissed it all away.

"I'm Still Here" tracks Phoenix's career from his “retirement” from acting in October 2008 through March 2009, during which he tried and failed to become a hip hop star. It's a sad story, really, but masterfully told by director Casey Affleck to be endlessly fascinating and captivating.

At first Phoenix's intentions are admirable: He's fed up with the bogus fame and expectations of movie stardom, and wants a new challenge in life. Citing his passion for music, he desires to become a hip-hop star. Fair enough. But as he continually fails at his new endeavor, he becomes more secluded, nasty, unhygienic and unpleasant, to the point that he devolves into a lost, unlikeable show business freak. (This includes his memorable appearance on the David Letterman show in February 2009.)

The big question surrounding the film is whether it’s real or just a hoax. It's genuinely both. It's real because Phoenix has always been a bit removed and eccentric, it’s plausible he would want to try something different, and some of the things he does and says (and has done to him) are unbelievably harsh and cruel. It's a hoax because Phoenix never hires a coach to teach him more about hip hop (and his hip hop performances are terrible), he’s so irresponsible he arrives late to his first meeting with P. Diddy, and when it comes down to it Phoenix is giving an acting performance in this movie, meaning he’s still working as an actor. This is very obvious and very easy to overlook.

Also, consider this: Phoenix has in effect traded one public persona for another, and so the idea of this being the "real" Joaquin as a hip hop star is just as bogus as his movie star persona was. Which is closer to the real him doesn't matter, because he's always going to be painted in a certain light by the media, and that in turn will be how the public perceives him.

It's been rumored that Phoenix wants to return to acting, but he's been incognito since March 2009 and his actions in the film clearly alienate the film industry, which he apparently despises.

The end of “I’m Still Here” leaves you a bit numb: You feel sorry for Phoenix because he’s such a lost, incomplete (in his eyes) soul, but at the same time you understand that he is a product of his own decisions and actions.

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