Review of Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) by Issac L — 12 Jun 2012

First of all, a misconception has been clarified, itâ(TM)s a documentary made by Banksy instead of a documentary about Banksy, the protagonist is a French guy lived in USA, named Thierry Guetta, who is a fanatical street art lover and amateur filmmaker, later he dubs himself as âMr. Brainwashâ?, when he engages himself into his own path as an artist, and eventually he succeeded in turning his debut solo exhibition as an unforeseen knockout.

Conspicuously I am not such a documentary enthusiast, the last-seen documentary I could recall is Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaudâ(TM)s OCEANS (2009, a 7/10). And the single reason why I feel compulsive to watch this film is BANKSY, then, due to the opening statement, it is a nonevent for me. But the film has its very rational depiction of the current ill-directed contemporary art market where self-seeking and over-hyped works are dominating, which are strangling the creativity of aesthetics for a booming generation, with which is the noblest and the most quintessential liability endows every qualified artist.

Whether or not the entire sensation is a hoax, the film has cunningly skipped most of Mr. Brainwashâ(TM)s activity concerning doing art, there comes a staggering shock all of a sudden he has created so many paintings and other art works, while we have not been witnessed anything about how these astronomical farragoes being produced, which I consider a big loophole here, or maybe it is a planned maneuver, only it boomerangs.

Thierryâ(TM)s broken English is another nuisance for me, most of his interviews are badly written and donâ(TM)t contain any substantial meaning, even no wisecracks, and the film has wasted too much screen time on him rather than on his and other graffiti artistsâ(TM) works, and whatâ(TM)s more vexing, he is not an even interesting character!

After all, I tend to believe it is another prank Banksy has brewed, to expose the shallowness and aimlessness of the sickeningly frivolous art world we are trapped in.