Derrida Review

Derrida
Documentary on the philosopher Jacques Derrida.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

31 Jan 2003

Running Time:

85 minutes

Certificate:

tbc

Original Title:

Derrida

It was inevitable that anyone granted permission to make a documentary portrait of the Father Of Deconstructionism was going to have to play a few mind games in the process.

Consequently, this snapshot of Jacques Derrida is full of propositions and paradoxes that say more about his contentious theories and intellectual kudos than about the man himself.

Hiding behind notions of ‘truth’, Derrida evades questions and ruminates about abstract concepts with a blend of academicism and showmanship.

As a result, he emerges as a genial septuagenarian who is quietly gratified by his contribution to human thought and content to let others assess its significance. Kofman (his off-screen inquisitor) wants more, but has to settle for slipping in such neat postmodernist gags as Derrida watching himself commenting on footage of their discussions on a tiny playback screen.

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