Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

 

What starts as a supposedly straightforward tale of the evolution of street art and its keynote figure Banksy ends as a self-reflective indictment of not only the artists, but of art itself. Too many films ask the question “what is art?” Exit Through the Gift Shop takes up this question, punches it repeatedly in the mouth, blackmails all its family and friends, then delivers one final blow to knock it out before an answer can ever be reached. This is not to say the film is unsatisfactory. To say it is unsatisfactory would imply any semblance of satisfaction, at any point, throughout the film.

 This man is not Banksy. I don't think.

I, like many others, found Banksy’s art to be captivating at first, then quickly irrelevant upon his book’s arrival in Urban Outfitters. I, like many others, did not know that Banksy knew exactly how I felt. This is his response.

Some interesting reading for after viewing:
'Exit Through the Gift Shop' Confronts a New Claim

Oscars 2011 Best Documentary Feature Nominee