Derrida (film)

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Derrida is a documentary film about the philosopher Jacques Derrida directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Kofman and released in 2002. The philosopher, who is often noted for his reluctance to be interviewed, is shown in personal life, among his family, and is interviewed by the documentarians about his thought. Several interludes present passages from Derrida's work, read in voice-over by Kofman. Mark Z. Danielewski, author of House of Leaves, served as an editor and worked on sound for the film. The soundtrack was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Reviews of the film were mixed: the film was disliked by many among both Derrida's critics and his supporters. The New York Times review by Elvis Mitchell was sympathetic:

Documentaries cannot really do other than supply a fragment of a momentary truth, and Derrida becomes a part of its deconstructionist subject's purview by observing its flaws as a forum and as a form.

To contrast, the Guardian review by Philip French condemned the film:

Derrida is a rambling, uncritical documentary about Jacques Derrida, the celebrated French philosopher, that attempts through interviews and readings to convey some of his ideas and theories.