Topline
“Musk,” a four-hour documentary covering Elon Musk’s accumulation of an unprecedented amount of wealth, stunned critics at its Venice Film Festival premiere on Tuesday, with some calling it “damning” and a “stroke of creative genius.”
“Musk” premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
“Musk,” directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, stretches for three hours and 45 minutes and portrays Musk as an “unabashed megalomaniac,” according to a review by The Hollywood Reporter, which says the film follows Musk’s early business career to his time in service for the Trump administration.
Musk did not participate in the documentary, but reviewers considered a highlight to be an interview with his former girlfriend Ashley St. Clair, with whom Musk fathered a child.
St. Clair attended the Venice premiere alongside Gibney, who said many of the subjects he interviewed for the documentary felt a sense of “existential fear” by participating in the production.
St. Clair said she turned down a $40 million nondisclosure agreement offer from Musk that could have essentially barred her from participating in the documentary, saying she did not want to “take being materially comfortable over speaking the truth.”
The documentary also features interviews with Errol Musk, the billionaire’s estranged father, as well as his ex-wife Justine Musk and other former colleagues.
How Did Critics React To “Musk”?
The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney called the film a “stroke of creative genius,” praising Gibney for accommodating for Musk’s absence by creating a computer-generated avatar of the billionaire to address the camera, using comments Musk himself has made. Rooney said the documentary “may not tell us a lot that’s not already out there to some degree,” but it portrays information in a “very persuasive package that will leave many audiences chilled to the bone.” Deadline critic Matthew Carey defended the film from potential criticisms about its long runtime, saying the film is “engrossing from the start” and is a “necessary length to confront Musk’s immense impact on contemporary life and politics.” Carey said the movie portrays Musk as “unscrupulous, power-hungry and narcissistic, the child of a distant, difficult father,” saying it is “most successful at painting a psychological portrait of the multi-billionaire.” IndieWire critic Ryan Lattanzio also praised the film for its interview with Musk’s father, saying the documentary suggests Musk’s “relationship with Trump became a projection of his daddy issues.”
What Has Musk Said About The Documentary?
Musk first criticized the project on X in May 2023, saying in a post Gibney’s film is a “hit piece.” In another post later that year, Musk attacked the director: “Gibney is a douche.” Following the film’s Venice premiere on Tuesday, Musk criticized People Magazine after it published a report on the documentary. “Does ‘People’s Magazine’ actually still exist? I don’t think it does,” Musk said, claiming he hasn’t “seen a copy lying around in over a decade.” Musk’s post was a response to another user who claimed the documentary was an attempt to “smear” the billionaire.
what to watch for
Several billionaire-focused films are set to premiere at fall festivals with high hopes for awards season. The “Musk” documentary will open in theaters in October following its Venice premiere, though it’s not the only film featuring the Tesla billionaire coming out later this year. “Artificial,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, will premiere at the New York Film Festival in October and will open in theaters at a to-be-announced date. The movie is a dramatized account of Sam Altman’s brief ouster from OpenAI, which Musk co-founded. Musk is set to be portrayed by actor Ike Barinholtz in a supporting role, while Andrew Garfield will star as Altman. “The Social Reckoning,” a sequel to the Oscar-winning “The Social Network,” will open in theaters next month, starring Jeremy Strong as Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. “You Can See Everything,” a documentary starring and directed by comedian Nathan Fielder, earned rave reviews following a surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Sunday, which follows former billionaire Elizabeth Holmes before she began serving a federal prison sentence for defrauding Theranos investors. The Holmes documentary will open in theaters on Oct. 16.
forbes valuation
Musk is worth $941.6 billion as of Tuesday morning, according to Forbes estimates, making him the wealthiest person in the world by a massive margin. Musk briefly became the world’s first trillionaire in June after taking SpaceX public. Musk owns 38% of SpaceX and about 11% of Tesla.
further reading
Elon Musk Could Dominate This Year’s Oscars—Between ‘Musk’ Doc, ‘Artificial’ And ‘Odyssey’ Discourse (Forbes)
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