Even Banksy is totally speechless
May 11, 2010
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”
—Mark Twain
I can see now why all the reviews I’ve seen of “Exit through the Gift Shop“ have been so vague.
You’ll read that this film is about a French guy who chases down the elusive, renowned British street artist, Banksy, and gets him on camera. But then Banksy cleverly turns the camera on the Frenchman, whom he regards as “more interesting” than himself.
All this is true. And this is probably the knowledge you should have when you buy a ticket for this one. No more, no less. You should be thinking, oh, a documentary on a documentarian. That’s clever, in a sort of postmodern, “meta-” way.
Then, when the movie takes a turn that, if made in fiction, would make everyone cry, “Implausable!”, you can be amused or horrified or saddened or embittered or whatever it is your heart presses you to be–with the rest of the audience.
Bansky says he directed the film the way he did because Thierry (the Frenchman) was more interesting. But really, while the obsessive, capricious Thierry is clearly lacking a chair or two from his dinette set, the most interesting thing Banksy was able to capture was the phenomenon of Thierry’s eventual “accomplishments.” (Epigraph.)
Just go see it. As I mentioned, Banksy turns the camera on the cameraman. But really, as you will find, it’s more like he turns it on us.
