The credits hadn’t yet finished rolling at South by Southwest’s screening of “STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie” when dozens of eager audience members rushed out of their seats to line up for the post-screening Q&A. The emotional weight of the Apple TV+ documentary was palpable throughout Austin’s Paramount Theatre, as viewers wiped away tears and rose for a standing ovation.
Taking in the reaction from the crowd as he settled into his seat on stage, it was clear that for actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, the feeling was mutual: “I don’t want to put it crudely, but you’re the best fucking audience we’ve had.”
Directed by Davis Guggenheim, known for his documentary work focused on renowned activists and politicians, the film follows Fox from his humble beginnings in Alberta, Canada, to his meteoric rise in Hollywood as an icon of the 1980s, and gives a never-before-seen look at the years that followed his Parkinson’s diagnosis at 29 years old. Aided by a mix of reenactments of Fox’s life as well as archival footage from his decades-long career, the documentary tells a story that goes far beyond illness, exposing Fox’s relentless optimism, wit and humor.
Given the excitement of the crowd, Claudette Godfrey, SXSW’s director of film festival programming and the evening’s moderator, quickly turned the floor over to the audience for questions. It wasn’t long before a theme emerged of attendees for whom the documentary struck a personal chord. One guest shared their experience recovering from a life-changing car accident. Another talked about their work as a researcher funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, as others shared stories of loss and survival.
In response to an attendee’s question about how “STILL” approached its portrayal of illness, a subject that hits home for many, Fox explained, “Davis said it early on: ‘I want to cover Parkinson’s but I don’t want to make a movie about Parkinson’s.’ He didn’t make a movie about Parkinson’s, and I’m really gratified with that. He made a movie about life.”
Both Fox and Guggenheim also got a chance to dive into one of the film’s most compelling creative choices — the decision to mix acted recreations with archival footage to accompany Fox’s narration. This works particularly well in one sequence, where Fox describes the chaos of his life during the months in which he was Alex P. Keaton on “Family Ties” by day and Marty McFly on the set of “Back to the Future” by night. Though Guggenheim wanted to move forward with recreations of that time, he described his creative “fights” with the film’s editor, Michael Harte, and how they impacted the final product.
“Michael Harte’s solution, which was not on my mind at all when we started, was using [Fox’s] scenes from different movies,” Guggenheim explained. “We decided in our fights not to have a winner. And that the winner was the movie.”
Several audience members shared their memories of Fox’s iconic roles, with one person turning the tables on the actor by asking him to share what it’s been like to connect with his fans.
“It was great for me to hear from all of you and to realize that the connection didn’t end with whatever I did,” Fox said of his time spent attending festivals and conventions, and meeting fans out in the world. “The connection ended with how you took it and processed it and what it meant to you. And then I started to see people with tattoos of my face on their ass. This was really deep. This was bigger than life. I mean, Parkinson’s sucks, but it was a great life. Thank you for it.”
One of the most poignant aspects of the film touches on the years that Fox spent privately coming to terms with his diagnosis before ultimately deciding to come forward with it publicly. Fox doesn’t shy away from the darkness, frankly detailing his battle with alcoholism and his journey to sobriety as he came to terms with his future. It’s the actor’s forthright attitude about his life that makes the documentary so compelling — something he and Guggenheim acknowledged was difficult in practice.
Despite Fox’s willingness to be candid, they faced more than a few challenges while filming, primarily due to several injuries Fox sustained off camera. In one scene, the actor gets a touch-up for a bruise, explaining that he had fallen the night before. Other times, he admits he wasn’t able to make it to filming at all.
“When Michael did show up, he was pretty great,” said the director. “We persevered, and I wouldn’t take any of it away.”
“STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie” will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ beginning May 12.
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