The Painter and the Thief

A quietly absorbing, humane portrait of an unlikely bond that keeps surprising you with its tenderness and emotional honesty.

Directed by

Benjamin Ree

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Barbora Kysilkova, Karl-Bertil Nordland, Øystein Stene

Overview

When two of artist Barbora Kysilkova’s most valuable paintings are stolen from a gallery at Frogner in Oslo, the police are able to find the thief after a few days, but the paintings are nowhere to be found. Barbora goes to the trial in hopes of finding clues, but instead she ends up asking the thief if she can paint a portrait of him. This will be the start of a very unusual friendship. Over three years, the cinematic documentary follows the incredible story of the artist looking for her stolen paintings, while at the same time turning the thief into art.

How it feels

Warm, melancholic, earnest and dark. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Art, friendship, addiction, redemption

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)