This documentary will fascinate everyone from sewer dwellers to the most elite of individuals. Well, unless both sides of the spectrum are stubbornly dull and have no interest in the captivating world of graffiti art. Regardless of what sewer folk or elitists believe to be art and not art (aka fart (fake+art=fart)), it's interesting to see how world famous street artists (I didn't even know there were world famous street artists!) defy the law in order to get their work seen. The biggest of names travel all over for the sake of pasting or painting their creations for the world to see. Some reproduce the same images over and over and place them at as many locations as possible. Banksy, the most elusive street artist, sets the bar the highest. That is until Theirry Guetta meets him and accepts a challenge that makes one question the true meaning of art.
This tale begins with Theirry Guetta, a French family man with a clothing shop who is obsessed with filming. Did I say obsessed? I'm sorry. I meant he is OBSESSED with filming. He carries his camera around with him everywhere. Filming on a daily basis for... no reason at all. Eventually he gets drawn into the world of graffiti art and starts following various artists around with his camera as they put their work up, which usually occurs at night, when the fuzz are less likely to intervene. This added sense of danger adds excitement to the film. These people are doing something that they shouldn't be doing. Theirry tells these graffitists, as I like to call them, that he is making a documentary. In reality, he's just filming for the sake of filming.
This strange man, who reminds me of that crazy relative you claim you may or may not be related to depending on the day, becomes so engulfed in this art world that he sets his sights on the holiest of grails. The notoriously elusive Banksy. When he finally meets Banksy and films him, I too am awe struck. One of the coolest things Banksy did, in my eyes, was go into an art museum and stick his own art on the walls. These pieces were blatantly altered well known portraits, but it was crazy to see a man successfully blend his own works of art with paintings in a museum. Banksy also stole a London phone booth, cut it in half and welded it back together in a way that made it look like King Kong kicked it so hard, it bent into the shape of an 'L'. What made Banksy even more interesting to watch was the fact that he refused to be on camera unless he was blacked out.
The film took the most unexpected turn of all after Theirry showed Banksy his abysmal attempt at a documentary which was essentially short incoherent clips of people graffitiing. From what little they showed in Banksy's film, Theirry's film looked unwatchable. Banksy then decided to take over as director and challenged Theirry to put down the camera and make his own street art. Theirry reinvented himself as Mr. Brainwash and produced heaps of art with the help of graphic designers. His work seemed to borrow a lot from Andy Warhol; however, they still had an element of originality to them. Theirry then miraculously pulled off an art show and made over one million dollars, successfully breaking into the graffiti art world. He even designed the cover to Madonna's 2009 greatest hits collection.
Banksy's reaction to this was priceless. He said he would never again encourage people he meets to become artists. He sounded a tad jealous of Theirry's success. Banksy seemed to spend a great deal of time on his art and Theirry produced so much work so quickly that one would assume he had been working a lifetime on these pieces. In actuality, it was less than a year. Banksy gave off the impression that he despised Thierry, even though Theirry showed such enthusiasm toward an art form that Banksy was deeply involved with. It was troubling for me to learn that the man who took over as filmmaker has zero respect for his subject.
Theirry seems like a nice guy. He was directionless during his filming days, but he grew into an artist of sorts. Here's where I have trouble accepting his so called "genius." He borrows so many ideas from other artists and dictates to graphic artists what he wants. When I think of an artist, I think of the individual actually creating the art themselves. Being more hands on. Then again, how is his method for creating art any different than that of a movie director? They direct actors based off of a script (usually someone else's words), and have special effects artists make the big blockbuster moments shine brightest. Often times directors are never seen in the film, yet are still considered artists. So I suppose with that logic, Theirry is an artist. His work, to me, is mediocre at best, only because his pieces tend to look like rip offs of Andy Warhol paintings. Still, his story is encouraging. Even people without the natural gift of being able to draw or manipulate images on a computer can still be artists. As long as these individuals have the imagination and drive to do so... and the means to hire talented graphic designers. Theirry successfully demonstrated that if you pour your heart into something and are creative in doing so, you can achieve successful results. Even outperform artists who have been in the game much longer. Come to think of it, I believe Banksy is completely justified in feeling the way he does about Mr. Brainwash's sudden emergence into the art world. I imagine I would be too.
The Breakdown: Exit Through The Gift Shop sets the viewer up with one central question: Is graffiti really an art form and can anyone do it? Theirry is the man to tell us and he entertains throughout the duration of this flick. Watch and view the world from this unique individuals perspective and you won't be disappointed.
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