“an astounding portrait of forgiveness and empathy.” (Entertainment Voice)
Described by The Guardian as “the year’s most moving documentary” this Sundance-winning true story is unflinchingly honest and sweetly delicate in its depiction of the growing emotional bond between an artist and the junkie thief who stole her paintings. Part detective story, she seeks the paintings’ recovery, while turning the thief into her subject and slowly finding the story behind his damaged soul. Except he is not the only damaged soul. The film has gathered rave reviews, with the New Republic claiming that this “unlikely film about beauty, fate, and the radical politics of forgiveness, The Painter and the Thief will restore your faith in human intimacy, no matter how battered that faith might be.”
“the film resonates most deeply during its raw, vulnerable scenes” (NY Times)
Benjamin Ree
Benjamin Ree is a Norwegian documentary filmmaker. In the beginning of his career he worked for BBC and Reuters. He is currently employed by Norwegian broadcaster VGTV. His feature documentaries are Magnus (2016) and The Painter and the Thief (2020).
