...because 30 mins was all I could take. Don't get me wrong; this is a very well-made documentary. Visuals are eye-catching, music is engaging, interviews are poignant, and the content is informative. It's the subject matter that's so damn depressing I literally had to shut this off and go play with my dog for an hour.
If you're an artist, I guarantee that this documentary (at least the first 30 mins, and the rest seems to be more of the same according to other reviewers) will make you either depressed or angry. Or both. Deprangry. Certainly frustrated & unmotivated if not creatively devastated. This documentary gives us a behind-the-scenes peek at how contemporary art has been perverted into a commercial freakshow. Without pause, we get a parade of self-important characters, curators, critics and kibitzers all worshipping the almighty art-dollar. Sure, we could have guessed this from the plot summary. But, like the plot summary of "Human Centipede", words can't prepare you for the ordeal you're about to endure.
Even if you're not an artist, you may find yourself philosophically sickened by the ringmasters who make gobs of money off of creativity, the only real human gift we have to offer the universe. Especially upsetting was the segment dedicated to (I forgot his name and wouldn't even bother to type it if I remembered) a shock artist with an ego as big as Mars, who when asked about his ego childishly fires back at the interviewer "no YOU have a big ego!", whose art consists of dead, decaying and dying animals under glass fetching millions of dollars from clueless celebrities who want to buy into a rising stock. He sits there with such a pompous air in his $50,000 suit patting himself on the back, like he is gaming the system which he is--at the expense of true art.
The one failure of this documentary is that it didn't have enough satirical humour to keep the viewer from sticking her head in the oven. There was one nicely used clip, from the Woody Allen film "Play It Again Sam" that injects the perfect dose of sarcastic comedy, and I wish there were more of those interludes. Maybe there are later in the documentary, but 30 mins is my tolerance for pain. Watch this documentary at your own risk. It is effective. It is painful. Keep your dog close at hand so you can stay sane.
