The Plot. This is an interesting documentary about modern street art. The main story is about a French-American amateur film-maker Thierry Guetta, who after meeting some street artists decides to start filming them and their work. For years Guetta follows all sorts of street artists and also helps them out. He gets to meet almost everybody, who matters in the world of street art, but the most influential and controversial street artist, Banksy, seems to elude him. At one point, by sheer luck, Guetta gets to meet Banksy. After earning his trust, Guetta is allowed to film Banksy, as he works on more and more influential material.
General thoughts. I'm not a huge fan of documentaries, but this one was truly interesting.
This film was directed by Banksy himself, while Guetta is more of a main character. At first the movie seems to be about street artists and finding Banksy, where Guetta just explores the world of street artists, but at one point the whole thing is turned around and Guetta himself becomes a street artist. This film is quite artistic itself, the way it's put together by excerpts of Guetta's amateur material, mixed with other people filming Guetta and some documented footage about Banksy from other sources and all of it is mixed together to form a story about not Banksy, as it would be expected, but about Thierry Guetta also known as Mister Brainwash.
It's difficult to say how much of this all is actually true, but this documentary presents a really interesting point of view on some of the street artists lives and their relations between each-other. It also simplifies the otherwise mystical view on the world of street art and personifies the actual people who come up with these awesome ideas. Some of the artists faces are not shown, including Banksy himself, but you get an insight on the way these people work.
This art form truly represents the evolution of art, moving it from stuffed galleries meant for rich people out into the streets, where any person walking by can enjoy these awesome ideas. This documentary really made me interested in this art movement. It made me want to cut up a stencil and smack it on a wall in a public place. Something with a brave message. So much more than just random graffiti, someone tagging their illegible name or just badly drawn depictions of genitals on garage walls.
I would recommend this documentary to anybody slightly interested in the evolution of modern art or anybody wondering why are there so many weird drawings all over the city. A remarkable piece of art on it's own.
7/10 Flogs
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