THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
Norway, 2020, 98 minutes, Colour.
Barbora Kysiklova, Karl-Bertil? Nordland, Oystein Stene.
Directed by Benjamin Ree.
An audience coming upon this film without any fore-warning, would assume that it is a drama, a fictional story – and that is the way that it plays out. It comes as something of a surprise to find that it is, in fact, a documentary.
The central character is a Czech artist, Barbora Kysiklova, with a very distinctive visual style, using photographs but developing characters and situations with sketching, pencil drawing, a fast pallet of paints and high imagination. She is living in Oslo, the film explaining that she had an abusive relationship in the Czech Republic but was rescued by a writer-director, Oystein Stene, and moved to Norway, where she has been successful, mounting an exhibition.
There are many sequences throughout the film showing her at work, different moments in her process of painting, and close-ups of many of them.
The complication comes when two of her paintings are stolen from a Gallery. Surveillance footage is shown of the theft. However, the thieves are apprehended fairly quickly, there is a court case.
The other central character is one of the thieves, Karl- Bertil Nordland, and the documentary shows Barbora’s portrait of him as well as offering a visual and psychological portrait of him himself. A harsh growing up, some talents in carpentry, intelligent, addiction, prison, involvement in the theft.
Which means that the central drama is the relationship between Barbora and Karl- Bertil, her questions, his responses, their being comfortable in each other’s presence, her decision to paint him, his extraordinary and weeping response to seeing the first portrait, more portraits, especially of his hand and its wound which looks like stigmata.
Documentary film-maker, Benjamin Ree, also one of the cinematographers, follows each of the characters over the years, Karl Bertil and his reckless car accident, hospitalisation, another prison sentence, and sequences in the prison (so much more civilised than those huge American prisons with surly and violent prisoners in yards). The filmmaker also follows Barbora, some sequences of marriage counselling, her growing involvement with Karl- Bertil, especially in his rehabilitation after the accident, not communicating with him in prison, but their meeting again, he something of a different person, clean and with ambitions to do something with his life as he turns 40.
The film keeps part of its intrigue until the final 20 minutes, some revelations about what happened with the theft and the consequences.
Audiences will wonder how the documentary came to be made, has it has such access to surveillance, the art, to the lives of the two characters. The IMDb (under the unfortunate title, Trivia) offers some detailed information – to be read after the viewing of the film.
The film started as a short documentary, but the filmmakers changed their plan when Karl-Bertil? saw himself painted for the first time. Then they decided to keep on filming for many years to come. They filmed from 2016-2019 not knowing what would happen or where the story might go.
Interesting?
The reason why Barbora Kysiklova (the painter) is speaking English in the film is because she doesn't understand Norwegian.
From the director's statement: "From the moment I began filming I wanted to explore the complex friendship between the painter and the thief. Two questions were the driving motor: What do we humans do to be seen and appreciated, and why do we help others? For me, filmmaking is about asking intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging questions through observing human behavior. I hope I have managed to raise some intriguing questions with this film, questions you will think about long after the end credits. I have also tried to push the cinema verite form onto a new path, with several perspectives jumping back and forth in time, revealing new layers of the friendship throughout the whole film. I have worked hard to find a cinematic form to suit the content for each scene, that reflects the inner state of the characters."
A friend of Barbora began filming her already back in 2014. She took photos and filmed the making of the two paintings that later would be stolen and she was also there during the exhibition. She also participated in the trial. The courtroom recordings are the actual recording of the first meeting of Karl-Bertil? and Barbora. Together with the CCTV footage, these archives makes up the beginning of the film.
The filmmakers read about the robbery in various Norwegian newspapers. They contacted Barbora and began filming her first, and it took some time to get access to film Karl-Bertil? (the thief). They began filming him the 4th time Barbora and Karl-Bertil? met.
1. A portrait documentary? Of the painter, her life, her work, her crises? Of the thief, his background, addictions, prison, rehabilitation?
2. The making of the film, work with the artist, the experience of the theft, the recording of the court case, following the central characters over several years?
3. Oslo, Norway, homes and studios, galleries, the streets, harsh lodgings? The prison, interiors? The musical score?
4. Barbora’s paintings, so many, seeing her at work, sketching, pencil, paints? The range of subjects, her style? Photography? Creativity?
5. Barbora story, the abusive relationship in the Czech Republic, meeting Oystein, the relationship, her success and work, the exhibition, the theft, the repercussions? The court case? Her getting to know Karl- Bertil? Painting him, discussions, more paintings, more conversations? The bond between them? His crash, hospital, recovery, in prison but her not responding to him? His getting out, renewing the friendship, discussions, her story of the finding of the stolen painting, his helping her with the carpentry and mounting it?
6. Karl- Bertil’s story, photos from the past, the harsh childhood, his father, possibilities, carpentry, studious and intelligent, psychological condition, drug addiction, the theft, his not remembering it, the discussions with Barbora, his posing, with his girlfriend, the effect on him? His weeping on seeing the first portrait? Drugs, the crash, the penal code, his imprisonment? The regime in the prison, civilised, comfortable, yet locked in, psychological help? His getting out? His ambitions, to find someone, to make a life and family, training to be a nurse, his carpentry work? Meeting the vice principal, their life together? Trying to contact Barbora, her response? The discussions with her, the painting of his wounded hand? Learning about the recovery of the painting? Helping her with the carpentry to mount it?
7. Oystein, his background as a film director, the relationship with Barbora, discussions, support, relying on him, his changing her life? His meetings with Karl- Bertil? His concern, the going to the marriage counsellor and the discussions, Barbora’s reaction?
8. Barbora, the second thief, the surveillance footage, his going to prison, her tracking him down, the discussions, his information about the Mafia boss, the storerooms, her
discovering the painting, lying on it? Taking it home? The preparation for the exhibition? Karl Bertil helping her?
9. In the final image of the painting, Karl-Bertil? and his girlfriend, Barbora substituting herself?
