Seduced and Abandoned

Provides some insight into the difficulties of financing original non-franchise films, regardless of country or the source of funding. Toback's persistance is admirable, and he takes rejection with good humour, but he does come across as a man that drastically overestimates his own talent, and Baldman largely occupies the role of a sycophant, although it must have been difficult being told that he essentially has little to no market value as a movie actor after decades of work.

A documentary with two layers. One, it is a harsh (yet loving) display of how films get financed, and how much of that depends on simple economics rather than "the art". The best interviews include Scorsese and the perfect Gosling (along w/ the business ones). Two, it is two bozos who lack self-awareness trying to sell their awful film starring Baldwin & Neve Campbell (in 2012!!) that is like "Last Tango in Paris", but set during the Iraq War. Toback is convinced that this will be "art".

We're all going to DIE.

For hardcore film buffs, students and anyone in the industry, I recommend this heartily. Toback's very fluently edited documentary takes an incisive look at financing in western cinema, but also includes savvy interviews with fascinating figures from Scorsese, Polanski and Bertolucci to Ryan Gosling, piquant lore of Pasolini and Brando, and convincingly relevant ruminations on death.