There is a moment in And Everything Is Going Fine, the new documentary by Steven Soderbergh, where Spalding Gray -- shaking in a dadaist trance -- repeats the phrase "and everything is going fine" over and over (you can see a glimpse of it in the trailer above). Like David Byrne repeating "same as it ever was" in Once in a Lifetime, Gray's words turn themselves inside out.

Everything was not fine. Frankly, it rarely was with Spalding Gray. But the famed actor and author had a talent for spinning stories out of his struggles.

Now, to say Steven Soderbergh directed And Everything Is Going Fine seems almost an exaggeration. The film is essentially a collection of clips -- excerpts from the famous monologist's performances on film and stage -- interspersed with yet even more of Gray's appearances on television, from E News to Charlie Rose.

But, as always, the Rhode Island-born actor and star of movies such as Swimming to Cambodia makes for a fascinating subject (Soderbergh himself worked on two films with Gray: King of the Hill and Gray's Anatomy).

Since Gray's thing was essentially talking about himself, the doc quickly spirals inward, with younger and older versions of Gray reflecting on each other.

For fans of the man, And Everything Is Going Fine contains rare footage from his early theatrical performances, when he was still figuring out how to be what he described as "a method actor who plays himself." For those who don't know his work, it's a heady way to start. Casual viewers might find some of the cross-cut edits confusing: the film offers a jam-packed journey, as Soderbergh takes us through Gray's accidents, affairs and rebirth in a tidy 90 minutes.

Notable, by its absence, is any mention of the circumstances surrounding Gray's death. If you're looking for answers there are many fine articles detailing his slow spiral into depression and his numerous trial runs at suicide.

Soderbergh isn't interested in solving any mysteries, other than delving into what drove Gray into a 62-year-long staring contest with himself. In the end, And Everything Is Going Fine doesn't explain Gray's demise, but it's a fitting requiem to an artist who believed in reincarnation through storytelling.

And Everything Is Going Fine is currently playing at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto.