The Academy Award nominations for "Best Documentary Feature" are in. Leading the pack out of the 5 contenders is a film by British born graffiti artist Banksy. This film captures the world of street art as it follows the artists that create at night and the community that later arises to define and own it.
The documentary begins with an interview with Banksy himself. His face is hidden and his voice distorted as he introduces the subject of the movie - Thierry Guetta. Thierry is a french filmmaker whose intention was to make a documentary film about Banksy but as Banksy explains, ended up being more interesting than himself.
Through extensive interviews with Thierry we meet his family, learn a little about his background and find out how he was introduced to (and then later entrenched in) the world of street art. Thierry is an interesting subject and his stories and mannerisms are humourous and entertaining. Other street artists and their works are showcased - some, like Shephard Fairey, are interviewed. And as the movie progresses Banksy and others try to determine if Thierry Guetta is really one of them, just plain crazy or both.
The movie explores many interesting facets about the art world - the age old question "what is art", the power of hype and the effects of commercialism. All of the artists are interesting in their own right. And I found this glimpse into their creative process and chosen medium really fascinating. Shephard Fairey, for instance, has plastered the same image over and over again on many different walls all over the world for over a decade. In doing so, he believes the power of repetition his given his work power. Each artist in Exit Through The Gift Shop has their own unique statement to make and I was interested to hear them all.
What makes this film all the more intriguing is that there's a very big possibility that it's all fake - a mockumentary, if you will. Many believe that Thierry's story is a creation of Banksy's -as is Thierry's creative evolution in the film. The conspiracy theorists that I've read are convinced that with the help of others, Banksy has managed to pull off a great hoax with Exit Through The Gift Shop. -Not only that but he has now garnered an Oscar nomination for it. If this is true and if Banksy wins the Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature" I have to wonder if that's a good thing or bad. I have to wonder if I'll be rooting for 'truth' or for the artist. Like the movie; it's really got me thinking. And isn't that what a good documentary should do?
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