A talking head can be a boring thing. Documentary directors will usually break up their interview segments with archival or new footage, because they know that an audience doesn't want to sit and look at the same face for 90 minutes. Without those breaks, it's no longer a movie; it's a taped lecture. Director Michel Gondry took a unique approach to the talking-head documentary "Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?", by using hand-drawn animations to turn complex discussions into an accessible visual representation. With famed linguist, philosopher, political commentator and activist Noam Chomsky as your subject, Gondry needed all the help he could get to make things clear for a general audience.
Gondry desperately wanted to complete "Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?" before the 84-year-old Chomsky passed away, but chose the most time consuming filmmaking technique imaginable. That counter-intuitiveness leads me to believe Gondry's primary interest lied in challenging himself. It wasn't enough that he was attempting to draw a documentary by hand, but he gave himself a deadline (pun intended) by which is must be completed. The result is impressive, bordering on experimental filmmaking. As he and Chomsky discuss heady subjects, the crude lines and colors dance in coordinated chaos, somehow conveying their thoughts through abstract visuals.
I'm not too proud to admit that I didn't quite follow everything said in this movie. Whether it be because Chomsky used a word I wasn't familiar with, the topic didn't interest me, or I had trouble understanding Gondry's heavy accent. Chomsky is a thinker that you're not going to be able to fully grasp in a single 89 minute session, and Gondry probably found the same to be true after multiple interviews over several years. The topics we do understand are brilliant and thought-provoking. The bulk of the film has Chomsky questioning the development of language and the assignment of words to fixed objects.
While these musings are fascinating, is it anything we haven't already heard from Chomsky - or our college professors that have studied Chomsky? There was very little said here that hasn't been heard before. However, for those that are not familiar with these concepts, Gondry's "Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?" is probably a nice introduction. You can admire the unique craftsmanship of the film, and at the same time come into contact with the intellect of one of the greatest minds alive. Is Chomsky the most entertaining speaker? Absolutely not. His speech could be used to make unruly toddlers fall asleep in their crib. But paired with Gondry's inventive mind, you get over his boring delivery and pay more attention to what he's actually saying.
"Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?" makes its world premiere at DOC NYC on Nov 21 @ 7:30 pm, at the SVA Theater. Director Michel Gondry and subject Noam Chomsky will be in attendance.
