ASKED to direct a documen tary on Euripides, the fifth century BC playwright, Jessica Yu came up with something she thought was a better idea. Find four men consumed by personal odysseys and have them tell their stories, thus showing that issues that concerned the ancient Greek are still around.
A 2 1/2-year search produced a German terrorist, a bank robber, a martial-arts student and an “ex-gay” evangelist. Yu – who won an Oscar for her 1996 documentary “Breathing Lessons” – allows the four to ramble on and on about their lives. She then throws in snippets from a Euripides play performed by wooden puppets.
I wouldn’t say that Yu’s idea is better, but it certainly is intriguing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. None of the talking heads is as interesting as Yu thinks they are; and it’s difficult to build sympathy for any of them.
Perhaps a straightforward portrait of Euripides was the way to go after all.
Running time: 90 minutes. Rated R (language, violent images). At the IFC Center, Sixth Avenue and Third Street.