Read Time:2 Minute, 6 Second
Stressful situations—like the current one—can teach us a lot about people. Sometimes they can bring out the worst in people, but sometimes they bring out the best. And in the unbelievable documentary The Painter and the Thief, a young artist turns a difficult situation into an unlikely friendship.
The Painter and the Thief begins with a robbery. In April of 2015, two large paintings were stolen from a gallery in Oslo. The young Czech artist, Barbora, is devastated by the loss of two of her most valuable pieces. But when the police manage to use the security camera footage to track down one of the thieves, she does something unexpected: she approaches him in court and asks if he’d let her paint his portrait. And as he sits and she sketches, the career criminal and the struggling young artist begin to build an unlikely friendship.
The Painter and the Thief is the kind of film that will leave you in awe of a documentarian’s ability to stumble upon a remarkable story. Barbora’s story is an interesting one on its own: the story of a young woman who fled an abusive relationship in Berlin to chase her dream and share her gifts as an artist in Oslo. The robbery adds an additional level of interest and intrigue—not to mention a little bit of mystery. But the fact that this artist who’s had her most valuable work taken from her would reach out to the man who took it—and can’t remember what happened to it—turns an interesting story into something emotional and gripping.
The film explores both stories: Barbora’s past, her career, and her struggles as an artist, and Karl’s childhood, his life of crime, and his continuing battle with addiction. They’re two fascinating characters made even more fascinating by the fact that they somehow found each other and built an unexpected friendship. Their relationship is truly touching—and often moving. But that also means that when they’re separated, the film seems to drag. When they come back together, though, they’re able to tie all of the stories together in a way that’s surprising, generally satisfying, and altogether memorable.
The Painter and the Thief definitely connects two fascinating characters to tell a story of the kind of humanity and friendship that can get people through the hardest of times. It’s a totally unexpected story—and a moving one, too.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Happy
0
0 %
Sad
0
0 %
Excited
0
0 %
Sleepy
0
0 %
Angry
0
0 %
Surprise
0
0 %
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.