A Jazzman's Blues

An intimate portrait of the French philosopher René Girard. In it, he presents his central theory of mimetic desire. The film offers an intimate portrait of Girard-his life, personality, and intellectual passion-highlighting his religious conversion as a key moment in his personal journey. It introduces his central idea of mimetic desire: the notion that our desires are not original but borrowed from others. It also examines the scapegoat mechanism, which Girard sees as foundational to human violence and the birth of culture: societies channel their aggression onto a chosen victim to restore order. The documentary shows how Girard links this insight to religious narratives, especially the Passion of Christ, which he interprets as exposing this violent dynamic. Finally, the film explores his lifelong quest to understand how primordial violence shaped human civilization, its myths, rites, and institutions.