In 2013, British street artist Banksy embarked on a month-long "residency" in New York City, setting out to produce one work each day during October.
The graffiti, guerrilla installations and sculptures that made up the exhibition, Better Out Than In, created near hysteria among street art fanatics, media and opportunists out to make a quick buck.
This HBO documentary is partly a catalogue of the works produced that month, partly a discussion about the place of street art in modern cities, and partly an examination of Banksy as an artist and brand.
It uses photos and videos harvested from social media to create a day-by-day diary of the works, which Banksy scattered throughout New York's five boroughs, sparking a month-long scavenger hunt. These user-generated records are interspersed with news reports and interviews with journalists and art dealers to accurately capture the breathlessness with which Banksy was received by the Big Apple.
There are many moments entertaining for their sheer ridiculousness: a man gazing euphorically at a patch of wall where a Banksy had been painted over moments before he arrived; the enterprising sorts who covered up a work with a piece of cardboard and charged people to take pictures of it; the hilariously terrifying installation-on-wheels, 'Sirens of the Lambs'; the police officers trying to jam Banksy's final piece into their paddy wagon.
But Banksy Does New York sufferers from being too formulaic. Inane tweets constantly pop up on the screen to little effect, and the daily vlogs of a Banksy-hunting duo are so cringe-worthy I began willing the days to pass more quickly.
To examine the commercial ramifications of Banksy's time in New York, the documentary tracks down the men who removed the Sphinx sculpture from an empty lot in Queens and stored it at the back of their garage until attempting, unsuccessfully, to sell it through a dealer.
But there appears to be no effort made to speak with the people who unwittingly bought genuine Banksy works for US$60 a pop (about NZ$72 at the time) from a tacky-looking stall outside Central Park. One of them was a New Zealand woman, who went on to sell her two pieces for a total of nearly NZ$300,000 three months before the film was released - although this isn't mentioned.
Banksy Does New York lacks any of the momentum and mystery of Banksy's own documentary, 2010's Exit Through the Gift Shop. However, it does add to the conversation by examining the dichotomy of the artist, questioning whether he is a high profile political activist or a sellout.
Combine that with the debate about street art as a criminal nuisance or legitimate form of expression and you have plenty of fodder for post-screening discussions.
Two-and-a-half stars.
Banksy Does New York is playing at the 2015 New Zealand Film Festival.
3 News
Banksy Does New York:: Director: Chris Moukarbel:: Rating: Exempt:: Running Time: 80 minutes
