Introduction
Banksy’s Exit through the Gift Shop film underscores a story of a French immigrant, Thierry, with an obsession for photography. He meets his cousin, a street artist, who introduces him to other street artists. Thierry’s fascination with filming makes him to document their activities. Later on, Thierry pairs up with Fairey, a street artist. He keeps on filming Fairey’s and other street artists’ activities with the aim of making a documentary.
Despite Thierry claiming to compile a documentary, he has never made a movie in his life. Later on, Thierry meets Banksy a renowned street artist. It is through this meeting that the film takes an interesting twist and focuses on Thierry who others described as crazy and retarded. At the end of the film, Thierry appears to have played a role of experienced street artist expected of Banksy himself. The interesting twist of events at the end of the film makes one to believe that the whole documentary is not real but a mockery.
Street Art
Thierry’s undertakings to make a street art documentary while he has never made a movie in his life makes the whole film a mockery rather than truthful. The unfolding story after he meets the street artist Banksy is so unreal that it makes the whole story about a documentary a mockery. Thierry is presented as the Mr. Brain Wash (MBW) as he is not seen to create much artwork himself despite claiming to assemble a documentary concerning street art. The film documentary illustrates that the story about MBW is a hoax.
In street art MBW, character exists and is associated with comical actions that are entertaining to the audience. However, in the documentary MBW is all hoax as Thierry is not said to be working when splattering paint to create color images.
This raises the possibility that Thierry himself and his actions including the artworks are all but false. Thierry is portrayed as having inferior artistic skills in the documentary but later on towards the end of the film, he comes out as an experienced and MBW overnight. This suggests that the whole artworks and characters in the film are not real.
There are a whole set of clues to point out that the whole documentary is not real but a joke. Scenes of Thierry acting funny come out clearly when he is said to not to be working whilst he is seen splattering paint randomly to create color images thus trying to create a poster therein.
These scenes appear to be very short raising the issue of whether the whole documentary is a hoax or not. Other aspects of Mr. Brain Wash character in Thierry such as when he is seen to be pushed in a wheelbarrow after injuring his foot and the never removed hat makes him appear comical.
In the documentary, street art is apparent in the artworks and huge stickers placed in the streets. The street artists use free hand aerosol paints to create the artworks and stickers in the streets. In the film, MBW is portrayed as a comical character in the name of Thierry but at the end of the film, he comes out the wiser character.
The street art movement includes personalities with a passion for creating street artworks. Despite the many speculations that the film is a hoax, it accomplishes the idea of the rise in street art in a very creative way. It also illustrates the differences between pop-culture and the gullibility of people.
Conclusion
In the film, Thierry depicted as a retarded character, later comes out as a brilliant MBW while Banksy, a renowned street artist appears disgraced. Despite most of the scenes in the documentary seeming hoax and unreal, the film documents the activities of street art in cities. The film also shows how great passion can make one achieve his desires as seen by the MBW character in the film.