Film: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Cast includes: Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Thierry Guetta, Space Invader, Rhys Ifans/narrator (Greenberg)
Director: Banksy
Genre: Documentary/comedy/street art (2010)
Note: migraine alert; a lot of jerky hand-held camera work
In brief: Who is Banksy? We don’t know, and we won’t find out. Who is Thierry Guetta? He was a nobody, who becomes a very big somebody in the world of street art, going by the label MBW or Mr. Brainwash. Exit Through the Gift Shop documents his questionable and almost accidental rise to fame and fortune.
In the late 1990s, Thierry is an eccentric French shopkeeper in Los Angeles, who lives life through the lens of a video camera. Over time, he becomes addicted to one challenge in particular… filming street artists at work. Through sheer persistence, he gradually gets to know nearly all of the most infamous of these illusive underground artists. By 1999, street art is no longer just a bunch of teenagers with spray paint. It’s stickers, stencils, posters, sculpture and, of course, spray paint. Many of the artists are quite accomplished, such as Shepard Fairey, the creator of the famous red, white and blue Obama poster. While Thierry gradually becomes accepted as a fixture in this underground world, there is still one artist he has never met or caught on video… Banksy. Banksy is possibly the world’s most famous and illusive street artist, and he becomes an obsession for Thierry.
But when Thierry finally does befriend Banksy, it’s only the beginning of the saga. Thierry tells Banksy he’s making a documentary. But in actuality, all Thierry seems to be able to do is shoot video… no organization, no vision, no talent as a filmmaker. When Banksy realizes that Thierry is floundering, he offers to help. In the meantime he suggests that Thierry might want to try his hand at street art. That’s when the documentary turns up side down. Billed as “the world’s first street art disaster movie” the film takes us on a bizarre journey. Anyone whose has ever wondered “Is it really art?” when looking at a questionable creation will find this journey enlightening. It might not give you answers, but it will certainly give you more questions to ponder.
2 popped kernels
Popped kernels for a really interesting subject... unpopped kernels for the migraine producing camera work
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Neither upbeat nor somber
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Amateur video
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought provoking
