I Am is Tom Shadyac's surprise documentary.

Have you ever heard of Tom Shadyac? Well, you will be hearing more of him soon because he's got a movie that will make people ask, “What's wrong with our world?” Yes, he's a movie director, and if you've ever watched Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor, and Bruce Almighty, you have an idea of the kind of movies he does. Now, he has a new film which deviates from his usual fare. It's called “I Am” but it's really not so much about himself and more about our world as he and other people see it.

Tom Shadyac is a director who loves fun. The films he's known for are not serious, so it's really a surprise that he made a serious nonfiction documentary film that's like a spin-off from the seventies flower children movement. But he actually was inspired to do this film and title it I Am. It was the result of his epiphany of sorts after being injured in a biking accident which had left him almost crippled. But luck was with him and after a long recovery, he sold his house and moved in a mobile home community. He was a changed man after the accident and it really showed when he went off to go around the world with his camera and ask people “in the know” what was wrong with our world.

The movie I Am is a journey of self discovery and an autobiography of sorts presented in Shadyac's own artistic style. It's both a documentation of his quest to find his new place in the world and a search for the place of the world in the people who live in it, with himself at the forefront.

If we analyze closely, Shadyac's life changed in a way that made him use film, his medium of creativity, in a manner that is helpful to people. It's kind of like how a native healer or shaman is made. First, they go through a sickness or a life-threatening situation which endanger their life and brings them close to death. Upon recovery, they get new realizations about life and a wisdom that allows them to see beyond the trivial and deeper into the true meaning of life and existence, thereby becoming leaders in a sense. That's like what happened to Shadyac. He's now a sage who takes the lead in showing the world a part of his new-found wisdom and those of others he's talked to in his journey of enlightenment.

So if you've ever wondered what's wrong with our world, then the movie I Am will help you find an answer. All you have to do is to watch and listen to what the philosophers, scientists, men of the Spirit, and others have to say. Shadyac had asked and now he shows us the many answers, including the one that matters most—I am. What does “I am” mean? Well, it's just one of many opinions, but it could be that it means everything starts with the individual, whether it's good or bad. The details of course are for the movie to show.

“We started by asking what's wrong with the world, and we ended up discovering what's right with it,” Shadyac said.

Earth Tantrums

Wonder Woman Save Planet Earth Tote