This could have been an interesting film if it was 12 hours shorter, but alas it is an overstretched and tiring character study on someone simply not that interesting. Why would a privileged straight white man get so much space in this epic doc is totally bizarre in 2024, when there is really not that much at stake here politically. If it was limited to a small, reasonable format focusing on the art fair's political complexities by relocating to Athens, it could have been interesting. But in this 14h format (!) I cannot imagine that there is an audience for this. Can it be a miscalculation of the production company? I wouldn't be surprised. They are known for their pharaonic and old-fashioned approach to cinema.
2 Reviews
Long and unnecessary
exasperatedjarman20 May 2024
Not sure why someone would make a film about this and one that lasts 14 hours. Even less sure about why anyone would watch such a film and why the Berlinale would programme this. It is widely recognised that documenta's somewhat colonial relocation to Athens was not a particularly successful occasion and it is incredible that for an exhibition that attracted such huge amounts of critique in Greece, the documentary does not provide a lot of space for these discussions. Visually, there is not much here either, this is somewhat TV-like. Overall, it feels like a way too expensive project that does not really interest many outside of the team of documenta itself.
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