The tables are turned on the director in an entertaining doco about the enigmatic street artist Banksy, a 20-year old directs an insightful teen angst film, and a critical look at the War on Terror…
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
2010
The tables are turned on the director in this entertaining documentary about the enigmatic street artist Banksy.
Banksy gained infamy with his politically charged graffiti and the fact he never reveals his identity to the public. He became the subject of flamboyant French ametuer film maker Thierry Guetta’s documentary about street art but as Banksy states at the start of the film Thierry himself turned out to be a far more interesting character than the elusive street artist.
Los Angeles-based Guetta has been obsessed with cataloguing every waking moment on camera for a long time.
After visiting his street artist cousin ‘Space Invader’ in France, Guetta starts following other street artists and capturing their work on film.
Banksy is the only high profile artist he hasn’t captured and by chance the two meet which is the start of an interesting relationship.
Inspired by his years of following artists such as Bansky and Shephard Fairy, Guetta decides to try his hand at street art and so Mr Brain Wash is born.
There has been a lot of buzz about ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ with whispers that it might be another elaborate Banksy hoax. Banksy seemed to be forcing the audience to question what constitutes art and how easy it can be to cash in on fads.
My only problem with the film was that the heavy use of handheld camera footage left me feeling quite seasick.
I KILLED MY MOTHER
2009
I didn’t want to like this film. It is one of those films that made a splash in Cannes, was written, directed and acted by a twenty-year-old former child star and will likely be a crowd favourite. Twenty year olds shouldn’t have the sort of objective insight to their angst ridden teenage years as Xavier Dolan has. I Killed My Mother is his semi autobiographical film about the difficulty of relationships between teenagers and their parents.
Hubert is 16 and lives with his single parent mother Chantal. Everything Chantal does irritates Hubert, she does not understand him and is trying to ruin his life. Hubert’s sexuality also makes their relationship strained as he struggles to tell his mother about his relationship with Antonin.
This is a superbly made film which portrays the love hate relationship between parent and teenager that with resonate with the audience – whether they have raised teenagers or been through an angsty teen stage themselves.
THE OATH
2010
In 1996 Osama Bin Laden was interviewed by an American journalist who asked him if he had a message for the American people, Bin Laden replied yes and that he predicted that life as they know it would change forever. It was also the year two young men became involved with Al Qaeda which would have devastating consequences years later.
The Oath takes a critical look at the War On Terror by contrasting the lives of Bin Laden’s former bodyguard (Abu Jandal), a taxi driver in Yemen, and the bodyguard’s brother in law (Salim Hamdan) awaiting trial in Guantanamo Bay.
The Oath examines some interesting questions such as what does a former Jihadist do when he is no longer waging war on infidels? It is hard to comprehend Abu Jandal worked closely with the man who has alluded the American government for the past nine years and there is a sense he risks a lot speaking about his experiences with Bin Laden.
Whether or not you are interested in the War on Terror this documentary is a must see and there will be many who will find it confronting to have such a human face put to Al Qaeda.
The documentary gives a unique insight into the working of Al Qaeda and a damning look at how the American government has manipulated federal laws to keep prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
By Helen King, 18 July 2010.
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