If you know the name Banksy (and if you're in this business and don't know it, where have you been?) then you already have a solid foundation for graffiti art and anti-establishment design. In fact, the name Banksy is so powerful that many people will be surprised to learn that this is not a film about Banksy himself, but rather an eccentric French chap called Thierry Guetta. But that doesn't make it any less interesting. Far from it.
Guetta is an odd fellow to say the least. He films everything, and has been doing so for many years. You will see boxes and boxes of tapes that he has no real intention of watching, he just needs to know that life has been captured and preserved on film. It's something of an unusual case of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ) which then manifests into this desire to film graffiti artists in action. He goes out on missions with Invader, Monsieur André and Zevs, and that's where Banksy comes in.
The documentary came about as a result of Guetta trying to film Banksy in action. Of course, anyone who knows anything about Banksy knows that it's an impossible task, which is something Banksy himself comments on: "It's basically the story of how one man set out to film the unfilmable. And failed." With Banksy's work being so controversial, he stays out of the public eye to avoid prosecution, and therein lies the basic problem of trying to make a documentary about someone who doesn't want to be filmed.
Banksy comes to the conclusion that the most interesting thing about the footage Guetta is getting is of Guetta himself, and the premise of "Exit Through The Gift Shop" is born.
The film then focuses on Guetta's transformation into a street artist (something Banksy suggests to further add to the hilarity) called MBW, which stands for "Mr. Brainwash."
Starring in this "documentary of epic failure" are other well-known street artists including Shepard Fairey, Seizer, Neck Face, Sweet Toof, Cyclops, Ron English, Dotmasters, Swoon, Azil, Borf, Buffmonster and Invader, who is the cousin of Guetta. Funny, inventive, interesting and creative, this is one documentary that should not be ignored.
