The short is an experimental reaction to the media witch-hunt and legal threats following Richards' 1977 Toronto drug bust. In the film's satirical courtroom, Ferrara-as-Richards defends his rock-'n'-roll lifestyle, concluding with a tongue-in-cheek sentence by the judge to play a free concert for a school for the blind.
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
