Narrative director Ramin Bahrani – best known for The White Tiger, Fahrenheit 451, and 99 Homes – speaks to Tiller today about his debut documentary feature entitled “2nd Chance”, a brilliantly inquisitive film about the inventor of the bullet proof vest, who shot himself in the chest 196 times. A self-made mythical figure with an allergy to accountability, Richard Davis’s hilarious yet heartbreaking story is a particularly American one, as Bahrani puts it. 

During their discussion: Ramin reflects on:

His personal journey to taking on this film (2:40) 

Extracting truth from a sociopath (10:30)

The invaluable note from EP Joshua Oppenheimer (19:23)

Influences on his voice-over script (25:04)

The powerful final scene (30:55)

Ending the film with Richard shooting himself over and over (37:20)