Banksy is, quite possibly, the 21st century equivalent of the phantom raspberry blower (see The Two Ronnies to get an idea of what that character did although the name kinda sums it all up) and here he turns his hand from street art to film direction. Or maybe it’s just another piece of art. Perhaps it’s all a joke, there’s certainly a lot to laugh at here, or perhaps it’s all sadly straight-faced. It’s more likely to be a mixture of the two but in what proportion we may never know.
The story behind this documentary goes something like this – Thierry Guetta used to own clothing boutiques and he would have stockpiles of slightly retro clothing that he would put a massive profit mark-up on and sell quite happily. He also went everywhere with a video camera. One day Thierry was able to watch the work of a street artist known as Space Invader (because of his use of imagery from the classic “Space Invader” games) and from there he met other street artists who allowed him to tag along on their adventures (no pun intended). This eventually led him to meet, and also be allowed to record, the most secretive and camera-shy street artist of them all, Banksy. Unfortunately, despite his claim to be making a documentary all about the rise of the street art movement, Thierry had boxes and boxes and boxes of videotapes containing footage that he simply kept without using. When he did eventually try to make something it was so bad that Banksy realised he could turn the tables, and the camera, and film the film-maker. Mr. Guetta then turns himself into Mr Brainwash, or MBW, and proceeds to launch his own memorable show, attempting to become an overnight success in the street art world thanks to his way of juxtaposing pop culture imagery with anything that pops into his mind and also the praise he prises from the artists he has spent the past number of years documenting. But will anyone actually be drawn to art by such an unknown quantity?
I really liked Exit Through The Gift Shop despite other feelings I was wrestling with. It’s an interesting look at something that often mixes daring, talent and exuberant anarchy. The narration by Rhys Ifans keeps things informative and quickly draws you into the world of these crazy characters.
But, like any modern art, there’s also just as much to be annoyed by. Whether the thing turns out to be real or fake, I find it telling that Thierry Guetta’s basic and simplistic way of valuing items to maximise profit margins was mentioned early on and brought to mind during his Mr Brainwash antics as he put the finishing touches to his “Life Is Beautiful” installation. The title of the documentary is also a cheeky sign that this is either a big joke by someone already laughing all the way to the bank or a barbed response to people who will lose sight of the points being made by the art that they’re competing to bid for.
The beginning is a decent introduction and the ending is part punchline and part crime reconstruction, in many ways, but the middle section is the best. It’s full of an energy and enthusiasm that also feels a lot less cynical than anything that the final developments bring onscreen. Watching these artists access any seemingly-inaccessible spot to place their work of art and seeing the end results is akin to watching Dogtown And Z-Boys and watching those kids who invented skateboarding as we know it today without having any grand plan or even knowing where their limits where.
You may hate Exit Through The Gift Shop, you may love it. It certainly provokes a lot to think about and discuss. Which is always the point of good modern art, in my view.
DIRECTOR: BANKSY
STARS: THIERRY GUETTA, SPACE INVADER, BANKSY, SHEPARD FAIREY, RHYS IFANS (NARRATOR)
RUNTIME: 87 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: UK/USA
Film Rating: 
