Film Night: Please Exit Through The Gift Shop

Four Stars – “interesting documentary.”

Out on DVD, some subtitles.

IMDB synopsis:

Los Angeles based Frenchman ‘Thierry Guetta’ gets the idea that he would like to film street artists in the process of creating their work. He tells them that he is making a documentary, when in reality he has no intention of editing the footage into one cohesive movie. One of the artists that participates is the camera-shy Brit Banksy, who finally convinces Thierry to use the footage to make a movie.

Soon enough Banksy comes to the realization that Thierry is a lousy filmmaker, so Banksy decides to use the footage and add additional material to make his own movie about Thierry’s journey in this project. Since Thierry spent so much time involved in the process of street art, Banksy also convinces Thierry to become a street artist himself. Thierry reinvents himself as street artist MBW, an acronym for “Mr. Brainwash”. Banksy, in the end, may regret this suggestion.

What I Thought:

An interesting look at graffiti artists and the emergence of street art as ‘modern’ art (accepted in galleries everywhere).

Banksy turns up in person 1/3 of the way through the film and it’s his part of the story that brings the most [tongue-in-cheek] humour and clarity to this documentary; he’d make a fantastic school teacher.

I would have liked more details on different types of street art – not just ‘artists’ – but I still found this documentary enlightening and entertaining.