Mike Figgis’s captivating documentary, ‘Megadoc,’ pulls back the curtain on the creation of Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 epic, ‘Megalopolis.’ Despite facing a lukewarm reception and a staggering $140 million budget yielding only $14 million at the box office, this film is a must-watch. It’s not just for dedicated Coppola fans, but for anyone curious about the immense logistical, financial, emotional, and philosophical challenges of crafting a grand independent movie while sidestepping the usual demands of Hollywood.
Figgis, a celebrated British director known for the intense ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ (1995), shared a connection with Coppola through Nicolas Cage, Coppola’s nephew and star of Figgis’s film. This acquaintance blossomed, and when the long-gestating ‘Megalopolis’ finally began production after years in development, Figgis proposed being a ‘fly on the wall.’ Coppola consented, leading Figgis, armed with a small camera and a visa, to Georgia to document this incredibly personal filmmaking journey.
“I’m genuinely intrigued,” Figgis confesses in the documentary’s opening voice-over. “I’ve never before witnessed another film director at work.” He also notes his fascination with “how someone manages to spend 120 million dollars of their own money on a film.” As the documentary unfolds, it becomes clear that this feat is achieved with surprising, even unsettling, ease.
By the early 1980s, when Coppola first publicly discussed ‘Megalopolis,’ his career was a dramatic tapestry of monumental successes and devastating failures. He had garnered critical acclaim and industry accolades, including six Academy Awards, for directing cinematic masterpieces that were also box-office sensations. Yet, he also founded a film studio that brought him to the brink of financial ruin and earned him widespread ridicule. Undeterred, Coppola persisted, delivering both triumphs and disappointments. He also built a vast fortune in the wine industry, eventually selling a portion of that enterprise in 2021.
The year after this sale, Coppola commenced filming ‘Megalopolis.’ This ambitious narrative unfolds in a futuristic New York, envisioned through the lens of ancient Rome. It chronicles the life, romantic entanglements, lofty ideals, and grand aspirations of architect Cesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver). Catilina’s vision for a better world is constantly challenged by personal struggles and intense political machinations. Featuring a stellar cast, including dynamic younger talents like Aubrey Plaza and seasoned veterans such as Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, and Giancarlo Esposito, the film is a visually stunning, melancholic, and delightfully eccentric experience. It stands as a utopian fable of artistic endeavor and unwavering vision, imbued with a deeply autobiographical resonance.
While Figgis initially proposed a ‘fly on the wall’ approach, typically associated with observational documentaries, ‘Megadoc’ ultimately diverges. (Notably, documentarian Frederick Wiseman once expressed his disdain for the term, stating in 2018 that most flies aren’t conscious, and he considers himself at least ‘2 percent conscious.’) Instead, Figgis actively immerses himself in the filmmaking process. He attends and moves around rehearsals, observes Coppola’s directing style firsthand, and conducts interviews, including one with Eleanor Coppola, who co-directed ‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse’ (1991), the famous documentary about the tumultuous production of her husband’s 1979 masterpiece, ‘Apocalypse Now.’
A memorable scene from ‘Hearts of Darkness’ features Francis Ford Coppola working shirtless. In contrast, ‘Megadoc’ often shows him more formally dressed in a suit and tie, yet Figgis kicks off the film with a moment of raw vulnerability. Eleanor (who passed away in 2024) asks her husband, off-camera, ‘How do you feel?’ Framed in a medium close-up, Francis, with his white beard and receding hairline, responds from a dimly lit office, wearing a simple white T-shirt. He muses, ‘I think I must be a little afraid, it shows that I’m not just doing something that I know how to do.’ He then adds a poignant thought: ‘Who cares if you die broke if you made something that you think is beautiful?’
This heartfelt statement—at once mournful, rebellious, genuine, and uplifting—acts as an artistic declaration, encapsulating Coppola’s essence, his past, and his seemingly unyielding belief in a brighter tomorrow. It also serves as a compassionate entry point into a documentary that is both sprawling and deeply personal, often unveiling surprising truths. Viewers gain insights into budgets, production logistics, even breathing exercises, and witness how Shia LaBeouf, a key actor in ‘Megalopolis,’ lives up to his controversial image. His journey from initial admiration to eventual skepticism and pushback injects a vibrant dramatic layer into the chaotic production. Yet, beyond this engaging spectacle, it’s Figgis’ keen observation and clear empathy, alongside the monumental figure he focuses on, that leaves the most profound impact.
Megadoc: Film Details
Rated: Not rated.
Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes.
Currently: In theaters.