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The Painter and the Thief
The Painter and the Thief
9.0
/10
4,253 Ratings

THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF

Directed by Benjamin Ree
Norway, 2020
Documentary

Synopsis

Desperate for answers about the theft of her 2 paintings, a Czech artist seeks out and befriends the career criminal who stole them. After inviting her thief to sit for a portrait, the two form an improbable relationship and an inextricable bond that will forever link these lonely souls.

Synopsis

Desperate for answers about the theft of her 2 paintings, a Czech artist seeks out and befriends the career criminal who stole them. After inviting her thief to sit for a portrait, the two form an improbable relationship and an inextricable bond that will forever link these lonely souls.

Our take

It’s impossible not to wheel out the aphorism that truth is stranger than fiction when faced with this astonishing documentary. A slippery, reflexive study in compassion and portraiture, The Painter and the Thief confronts the ethical boundaries of art as a tool for intervention and recovery.