You may not immediately know the name Tom Shadyac, but I bet you’d recognize a number of movies that he’s directed (Ace Ventura, anyone?). So why exactly did he choose to give away most of his fortune and move into a mobile home?
Shadyac says in his documentary I AM that despite achieving many people’s American dream, he couldn’t shake a nagging emptiness. After suffering a traumatic biking accident in 2007, he was faced with debilitating concussion symptoms that forced him to slow down, excuse himself from his fast-paced Hollywood trajectory, and reflect.
When the symptoms subsided five months later, Shadyac had gained a new perspective that inspired him to set out with a crew of four to make a movie unlike any other he’d produced before. Shadyac asked the world’s top thinkers, spiritual leaders, and innovators two important questions: “What’s wrong with our world and what can we do about it?” While those are definitely “heavy-deep-real” questions, Shadyac hasn’t lost his characteristic sense of humor. There’s nothing better than watching some of the world’s most famous minds stare at the director and say “Ace Ventura? Come again? Who or what is that?”
Our friends over at the IN Network are featuring Shadyac’s I AM as part of their Lenten Film Series. You can check out IN’s Sister Rose Pacatte’s favorite segment from the film and her sitdown with Shadyac that discuss his “journey of waking up.”
