Alex Gibney has made films about powerful people, corporations and organizations before: Enron, Elizabeth Holmes, Scientology and the U.S. military’s abuses at Bagram and Abu Ghraib are just a few. And yet, he said, nothing compares to the scope of power held by his latest subject, Elon Musk. With a nearly four-hour runtime, “Musk” is having its world premiere this week at the Venice Film Festival.
It's one of the most hotly anticipated of the festival and the year — Bleecker Street is releasing it in theaters in October. Gibney spoke to The about upending the Musk myth, his revelations about his power and his support of President Donald Trump. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: Let’s start with the obvious, simple question: Why Elon Musk? GIBNEY: A number of people came to me a few years ago, actually early 2023, and said, would you like to make a film about him? And I initially wasn’t sure, but a really good friend of mine convinced me that it was a good idea because it would be a portrait of kind of 21st century power.
And so with that, I dug in. AP: The nature and scope of his power is something that remains a little mysterious. Can you go into a little bit about what you found and how your film addresses that?
GIBNEY: In some ways it’s a simple story (with) a lot of complicated details. I think the source of his power comes from, how should I put this, (expletive)? That is to say, his ability to speak with confidence about the future in ways that convince people to invest in his companies.
It’s really a future that rarely is in sync with facts or evidence or any remote possibility. So that is really what I discovered. That and the fact I think his genius, if there is a genius, is that he is not an inventor, he’s an investor.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
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