Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

A good look at the short life of Jean-Michel Basquiat. We get to glimpse into the life of an artist during the time in which he was prolific. We see pictures and movies of him at his zenith. We also get accounts from friends and acquaintances who tell their stories of Jean-Michel's life. I did find parts of the documentary unsatisfying, but I am sure it is hard to fully flesh out such a complex man who died too soon.

"The more you know going into the movie, the more you sense it leaving out." - Aaron Cutler

"Fascinating yet unsatisfactory."

Tamra Davis shot interview footage with Jean Michel Basquiat not long before he died and shelved the footage. In 2010, she constructed this documentary around it, creating a portrait of Basquiat through his own words and through the words of those who knew him ... Bruno Bischofberger, Julian Schnabel, Fab 5 Freddy and others. It's a beautiful documentary that focuses heavily on showing his art works and painting a vivid portrait of this very gifted man.

Despite the light tone many of the talking heads here assume and despite ample examples of Basquiat's stunning smile, a persistent melancholy haunts the edges of the milieu depicted in this too-breezy documentary. You wouldn't know it from the film itself, however, which feels as dry as a filmstrip shown in high-school art class. Basquiat was one of contemporary art's greatest briefly blazing lights; but to feel that, rather than just know it, watch instead Julian Schnabel's biopic, Basquiat.

Bio-documentary on painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, featuring newly released interviews of him. The film didn't really provide any deep insights into Basquiat; overall, I thought it was OK. I did enjoy his artwork, so it gets points for that.