directed by Banksy (2010)
Even though I trusted all the rave reviews from the press and friends, I wasn’t sure that Exit Through the Gift Shop would capture my interest as I am not a particular street art fanatic.
However, to my surprise, I was drawn into the film which is clever, humorous, and thought provoking and I walked away with a new found admiration for artist and filmmaker, Banksy.
A thoughtful artist so disinterested in the spotlight that he conducts his interviews in “crime witness” fashion – darkened silhouette and altered voice, Banksy is a foil to Thierry Guetta, a French obsessive who loves attention and doesn’t quite seem to “get” even his own art.
The film begins with Guetta shadowing the biggest names in street art but ends with him becoming the rather comical focus as he stumbles into art superstardom Himself (by basically ripping off the style of all the artists he’s met but ignoring the meaning).
There’s a theory going around that the whole thing is a hoax, that Guetta is Banksy’s own creation. While if anyone seems clever enough to pull off such a hoax it would probably be him, Guetta seems far human and real (honestly no one could fake his insane film within the film Life Remote Control). Banksy and Fairey genuinely seems regretful for their role in creating Mr. Brainwash.
Either way, this is a great watch and you can see on Netflix instant.
But what do you think?