"The World's First Street Art Disaster Movie"
This is a documentary about street art… sort of. This documentary poses the question, “What is art?”… sort of. This documentary is a first-time film for the internationally renowned artist/prankster Banksy… sort of. This “documentary” about the gleeful pranks of the stars of the graffiti world feels like a monumental con in itself.
Right, so, you need to see this film. But if its tagline and playful trailer are not sufficiently intriguing to get you in the theater, let me attempt to provide a premise so you have some idea what you’re walking into.
While set in the secretive and mischevious world of street art, this film is really about one man - Terry Guetta. Terry is obsessed with filming every facet of his life, and is rarely found without his camera. His obsession finds a focus when he visits his cousin, who just so happens to be a street artist named Space Invader, who is famous for constructing and posting small tile artworks featuring creatures from the video game that birthed his name. This culture fascinates Terry, and he becomes determined to meet and film other infamous street artists.
As these interactions occur and Terry becomes immersed in this new world, it is assumed that he will eventually make a film about street art. This allows him unprecedented access to artists who are otherwise camera-avoidant and wary of any “intruders.” The footage captured of these artists at work is fascinating, and provides a unique opportunity for us to go along on their adventures. The one artist who continues to elude Terry is Banksy. But their mutual acquaintances from the street art world set a collision course for their meeting.
Bansky allows Terry to tag along on a few of his endeavors, including an unbelievable stop at Disneyland. Finding Terry to be trustworthy, Banksy decides the time is right for a documentary about this art form to materialize and encourages Terry to finish the film. After long hours of zealous editing, Terry sends Banksy his masterpiece, upon which Banksy discovers that Terry may not actually be a filmmaker, but rather “someone with mental problems and a camera.” Hoping to salvage the project, Banksy distracts Terry by suggesting he maybe try doing some street art himself, maybe doing a show or something. Off goes Terry, and off goes the film.
I will not elaborate much further because the situation only becomes more delightfully ridiculous. Banksy has clearly found a new canvas in Terry to ridicule those who blindly follow the “next big thing” and have commodified street art. Whether Terry’s journey is wholly truthful or just another of Banksy’s elaborate hoaxes remains to be determined, but I really don’t care if I ever find out. It’s a wonderfully made film that allows an intimate peek into the street art world while inspiring discussion about what art is and its role in society - and a jolly good time to boot.
Bonus: I found this extended "sneak peek" of the film - it's a similar summary to what I just told you, but with the added visual effect.
