Day 55: Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

The name Bansky has become well known around the world, and when I was in London last year I had to stop by and see some of his now famous street art. When I found out that he was releasing a movie, I waited patiently for it to come out. Thankfully the local indie theater house screened it.

The film raises a lot of speculation over its authenticity, with people arguing its a complete hoax, while others argue it's a 100% legitimate documentary, while others still argue for a mix of the two. The argument for the hoax, and the inability to know whose opinion is the right one, just adds to the fascination of the film.

Thierry Guetta is a frenchman living in LA who compulsively films every day in his life. On a visit to France, he films his cousin, Invader, doing some street art and he becomes addidcted with filming street artists and their art. Thierry becomes obsessed with meeting Bansky, who he does eventually meet. Basnky asks Thierry to use all his footage to make a film. He makes a very bad one. Bansky decides to take over the film, and suggests Thierry try to make some art of his own. He takes on the name of Mr. Brainwash and creates a large one-man show in LA.

The film rests on the character, or real life person, of Thierry who goes to all ends to film and follow these street artists. He climbs on roofs, helps them paint, and talks the whole time in his charming french-accent in broken English. It's a character too perfect to be real, but too funny to be fake.

The film's truth-or-fiction does not matter. The film is hilarious regardless of its truth. While I choose to believe it's not a hoax, people are free to make their own assessment. Either way Bansky is a gifted filmmaker, who does what all good documentaries should do: causes the audience to think. He makes the audience ponder what is art? Is this film, for example, art?