Exit Through The Gift Shop

“I want to be a non-conformist, just like everybody else”  Banksy

A few years ago I remember talking to someone about The Blair Witch Project, they had been to see the movie with someone who thought it was a real documentary then suddenly realised what it really was. It has been a few days since I saw Exit Through The Gift Shop and still don’t know if it was real. Was I watching a documentary, a mocumentary or just Banksy doing what he does best, taking the piss? More to the point was it really made by Banksy? This all begs the question, does it matter? Elaborate hoax or honest and heartfelt doesn’t detract from the brilliance of the spectacle.

Thierry Guetta, a French born, LA based vintage cloths shop owner is obsessed with filming anything that moves with his video camera. Whilst on holiday in France he inadvertently finds a focus for his obsession when he starts filming his cousin, street artist “Invader” it opens the door to the world of graffiti/street art and its exponents. Eventually he captures the holly grail, the great white whale, the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy. Things take a strange turn when the roles are reversed with Banksy becoming filmmaker and using the pseudonym “Mr. Brainwash“ Thierry Guetta emulates the artists he is obsessed with.

Banksy is credited as the Director of the movie although most of the footage was shot by Guetta. As Banksy explains at the start of the movie it was Guetta’s intention to make a film of street artists but Banksy found Thierry Guetta a far more interesting subject. The problem arises with the fact I still don’t know what is real. Was the film made by Banksy? Is the person in the movie with the blacked out face really Banksy? Is Mr. Brainwash really Banksy? Some of Mr. Brainwash’s work is approaching brilliant, such as the Andy Warhol inspired spray cans, other parts of it are crass and crap at best. The movie also features the artists: Borf, Coma, Swoon, Dan Witz, Neck Face and Shepard Fairey (the man responsible for the Barack Obama “Hope” poster).

I never know how well known Banksy is, whilst he has some unexpected fans people I expect to know who he are utterly oblivious. Street art is also a contentious issue, some people see the exponents as artistic geniuses, others see them as vandals and criminals, whatever your point of view Banksy is one of the best known despite his identity being secret. One of the great things about the movie is insight we get into the secretive world of the artists at work. The story is edited together in suck away to always hold the viewers interest, it is helped along the way by the narration by Rhys Ifans and music by Geoff Barrow. The greatest accolade I can give the movie is that it is so well made it could be enjoyable for viewers even if they have no interest in the subject matter and don’t normally watch documentaries.

I’m still not sure what it is,  but I like it and that’s all that really matters.

Four Stars out of Five.

 

 

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