PLEASE NOTE Q&A ONLY AVAILABLE AT PREMIERE SCREENING 25TH SEPT

Directed by Jon Stahl

Documentary Feature / USA / 46 mins

Strand: Absurdities

International Premiere

Screening: Thursday 19th September 13:00 | Wednesday 25th September 15:00

Review:

Polymaths have always been a curiosity to society at large. What is it, exactly, that makes these people so different? Is their intellect a burden or a gift? Are they satisfied? Are they happy? In JACOB, Jon Stahl attempts to answer many of these questions with regard to Jacob F. Appel - a doctor, lawyer, bioethicist, author, poet, professor, and tour guide, who seems to have lived several lives concurrently. Approaching the man both through direct interviews and the testimonies of his friends, Stahl considers Appel through an emotional lens, rather than an intellectual one.

The most striking thing might not be the reams of published material in Appel’s name, but rather the rejection letters that adorn his home – 21,000 by his count. Even someone so precocious and learned must endure a constant stream of refusal. This revelation is part of Stuhl’s mission – to humanise the gifted. That sounds bizarre, but contextualising that even geniuses can fail, and do exist beyond their incredible, evident successes, is to better understand them. It is that which Stahl is most interested in doing – and he undoubtedly succeeds. / Review by Milo Garner

Website

Credits:

Director: Jon Stahl

Producer: Jon Stahl

Executive Producer: Jon Stahl

Cast: Jacob M. Appel, Peter Grosz, Rosalie Purvis, Neil Ginsberg, Tina Howe