There Are No Fakes (Jamie Kastner) [Archive]

Stay Puft

07-22-2019, 07:00 PM

Currently screening in Toronto, though I saw it about a month ago at a special screening at the AGO. It premiered at Hot Docs (where I tried to see it, but both screenings were sold out). I was curious to see it because much of it is based in my hometown.

It's about the proliferation of art forgeries of one particular Canadian artist, Norval Morrisseau. He was from the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation and became widely known as the Picasso of the North. The story begins, in the film, with the Barenaked Ladies (it's so Canadian, lol), as Kevin Hearn learns that one of the Morrisseau paintings in his personal collection might be fake. The first part of the film follows Hearn as he investigates the authenticity of this particular piece in his collection and quickly realizes there is a massive, systemic issue at play. The film eventually moves into my hometown, the center of the art forgery ring, and uncovers the depths of the criminal enterprise (it involves Morrisseau's own family, becomes entangled with the history of colonialism and racism, and it gets dark and ugly).

The film knocked the wind out of me. It was one of the toughest things I've watched recently. I want to say everything the film uncovers is shocking or surprising, but honestly, I was born here, I spent most of my life here, and absolutely none of this surprises me at all. Canada is fucked.