Joaquin Phoenix Documentary Premieres at Venice Film Festival

There are many people in the entertainment business who have struggled with various things such as substance abuse and addiction. A lot of these negative influences can put your career in a severe decline, which has happened to many famous people. Maybe getting an insight into the life of the person will better help us understand their problems.

According to ABC News, Casey Affleck's documentary about fellow actor and brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix debuted at the Venice Film Festival Monday, Sept. 6, 2010. "I'm Still Here" traces Phoenix's retirement from acting and his attempts to become a rapper. The documentary shows a lot of graphic things, such as drinking and drug abuse, giving us an insight into the life of Phoenix. The documentary has been claimed to be a hoax by some people but seems to include various real elements of his life. This documentary might help people better understand Phoenix and what he has been going through.

The career decline of Phoenix is similar to the career decline that has been going on with Lindsay Lohan. The media coverage surrounding efforts at her career rehabilitation has been pretty severe ever since she got out of jail and rehabilitation in August 2010. According to Fox News, Lohan is appearing on the cover of the October issue of Vanity Fair magazine, where she gives an all-access interview.

Lohan has been in a severe career decline for the past couple of years due to her severe partying and staying out all night. She went to jail and rehabilitation after a probation violation stemming from a 2007 incident, and is now looking to rebuild her life. Lohan has not landed many movie roles in the past few years because people do not respect her as an actress anymore and she lost credibility in the business. In order for Lohan to get her career back, she will need to show people that she has changed and wants to be a responsible adult.

Lohan and Phoenix are very similar because they have both dabbled in drugs and alcohol, which is a contributor to their career decline. Both of these people need to get sober and start building trust and credibility before they will be considered for movie roles. The media attention around Lohan has been a lot worse than Phoenix's, partially because people are so intrigued by Lohan and her self-destructive behavior.

I think Affleck's movie will affect Phoenix's career in a positive way because it will allow more people to better understand him. Although Lohan has only been back in the public eye for a short time, she seems to be serious in trying to change. Given the steps Lohan is taking, I think that Phoenix will be able to rise above the current decline in his career. People love hearing about comeback stories and about people rebuilding their life after going through a hardship like being involved with drugs. When we hear about someone who is an addict, we often hope that he can recover and become the star we all know he can be. Phoenix has admitted to substance abuse problems, which will make people more sympathetic to his career situation.

When you have someone like Phoenix, who is incredibly talented, it is always a hope that he can overcome obstacles to show his true talents. I think this documentary will help people see that Phoenix is just going through something and it does not make him a bad person. You get to see who the real Phoenix is in the documentary, which maybe will help him better his career in the long-term. Whether it is a hoax or not, this documentary shows how much he is struggling to overcome the bad and focus on the positive.

Sherri Jennings, "Venice Shows Affleck's Film on Joaquin Phoenix", ABC News

Fox News Staff, "Lindsay Lohan: I Know I'm a 'Damn Good Actress'", Fox News