Slovenian theorist Slavoj Žižek is down in the dump in "Examined Life."

Following up the heady burst of fun that was her 2005 documentary Zizek!, filmmaker Astra Taylor keeps one foot planted firmly on campus with Examined Life. an interesting investiagtion into the minds of eight diverse academics.

Taylor presents a platform for ideas to Cornel West, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Michael Hardt, Judith Butler, Peter Singer, Avital Ronell and Slavoj Žižek. Because of the static nature of talking about thinking, she has her subjects constantly walking, riding, rowing or rolling, as they delve into a variety of philosophical ideas, from cosmopolitanism to ecology.

While these thinkers are all superstars behind the ivy, they don’t all translate equally well to this format. For some reason, Hardt scolds himself for discussing the possibility of revolution while he’s in Central Park, as if it were an exclusive piece of land instead of a public venue that has served people from every economic strata. That park is one the egalitarian accomplishments of our society, not a place of aristocratic shame as he seems to believe. Others like Singer, Butler and Žižek make far more interesting points.

It would appear that the director had a little bit more time and money for her new film than she did for Zizek!, and she uses it well, showing off a strong sense of composition that was impossible to display with the breakneck schedule of her first feature. Taylor is growing as a filmmaker, and even though she might not be a hard-nosed interviewer as of yet, she knows how to provoke thought.

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