VENICE, Italy — Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney says his nearly four-hour film "Musk," which premiered this week at the Venice Film Festival, dismantles the popular image of Elon Musk as a modern-day inventor, arguing instead that the billionaire's true skill lies in convincing investors to believe in visions that rarely align with reality.

Gibney, whose past subjects have included Enron, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the Church of Scientology, and U.S. military abuses at Bagram and Abu Ghraib, told The Associated Press that nothing in his career compares to the sheer scope of power held by Musk. Bleecker Street is set to release the documentary in theaters in October.

Asked why he chose to make a film about Musk, Gibney said the project began with an outside pitch in early 2023 that he was initially hesitant to pursue.

"A number of people came to me a few years ago, actually early 2023, and said, would you like to make a film about him?" Gibney said. "And I initially wasn't sure, but a really good friend of mine convinced me that it was a good idea because it would be a portrait of kind of 21st century power. And so with that, I dug in."

Gibney said his research led him to a conclusion that reframes the source of Musk's influence entirely, tracing it not to invention but to his ability to project confidence about ambitious futures.

"I think the source of his power comes from, how should I put this, bulls---?" Gibney said. "That is to say, his ability to speak with confidence about the future in ways that convince people to invest in his companies. It's really a future that rarely is in sync with facts or evidence or any remote possibility. So that is really what I........

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