Many people were too frightened to speak publicly about Elon Musk, director Alex Gibney said, as he unveiled his marathon documentary about the billionaire entrepreneur at the Venice Film Festival.
The nearly four-hour movie charts Musk's rise from the dotcom era to become one of the world's most influential figures, questioning how an unelected tech titan came to wield such sway over politics and public debate.
"There was a tremendous sense of fear of talking, really almost existential fear, both among people who were his critics, people who were his business colleagues and people who are his friends," Gibney said ahead of the screening of "Musk".
The Tesla and SpaceX chief has dismissed the film, writing on his social media platform X this month that Gibney was biased and was "obviously going to make the most convincingly terrible hit piece on me that he can possibly think of".
Gibney said he began work on the project in 2023.
"We intended to make a shorter film before Elon Musk became wrapped in the career of Donald Trump and the presidency of the United States," Gibney said, adding that the first thing he did was to contact Musk, who declined to be interviewed.
Gibney, whose previous subjects have included the collapse of energy firm Enron and Scientology, said Musk's ascent was "the story of the confidence man" whose empire was built on an ability to sell inflated visions and hyped-up promises.
Without necessarily presenting any new bombshells, the film links Musk's takeover of Twitter, his government cost-cutting drive and his reliance on federal contracts to the creation of unprecedented power and wealth in the hands of just one man.
The documentary uses an AI-generated version of Musk that speaks words he has uttered over the years. Asked whether he expected legal challenges, Gibney said: "We consulted our lawyers, and they gave us a sign-off to go forward."
After embracing Trump's MAGA movement, the film shows Musk's growing support for far-right political causes internationally, including the surging Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
St. Clair, who revealed in the documentary that she had turned down a $40 million non-disclosure agreement after her relationship with Musk ended, echoed the criticism.
"His most complicated relationship is with the truth," she said. In the film, she says simply: "Elon is a nuke".
"Musk" is being shown out of competition at the Venice festival, which runs until September 12.— Reuters
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