film

Made in the same spirit as the hoax-based likes of Borat and The Blair Witch Project, Exit Through The Gift Shop was a striking piece of work when it came out early in the elusive graffiti artist's tenure as a subversive national treasure, and it remains so 15 years later. Ostensibly about an eccentric French shopkeeper and amateur filmmaker named Thierry Guetta, the film chronicles his obsessive attempts to document the work of street artists such Shepard Fairey, and culminates in his encounter with Banksy himself.

However, the narrative takes a surprising turn when Guetta transforms into "Mr. Brainwash", an instant art-world sensation despite his lack of originality or experience. The film raises a host of interesting questions about what constitutes genuine artistic expression and the manufacturing of fame, and cannily keeps its audience guessing by never fully revealing how much of the story is real and how much is orchestrated.