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Poster for The Painter and the Thief

The Painter and the Thief

Seen it?

2020 | 102 min | Documentary

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite a box office flop. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Best for anyone who likes learning something new. You'll come away knowing something you didn't.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 42 min.
What might put you off
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

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 earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 79 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsBelow par

    5 wins and 0 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Reach & staying powerWeak

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 7K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Benjamin Ree

  • Barbora KysilkovaHerself / The Painter
  • Karl-Bertil NordlandHimself / The Thief
  • Øystein SteneHimself
  • Linda Ville Marie RuudHerself
  • Bjørn Inge NordlandHimself