At times, it’s hard to tell exactly how to feel during “Art and Craft.” The protagonist, Mark Landis, is a mentally handicapped man from a small town in the Midwest who becomes one of the most prolific art forgers of the past century. During a career that spans 30 years, Landis forges copies of hundreds of pieces of art and donates them to museums across Middle America. Curiously, although he could dupe just about any high–profile art collector with the quality of his forgeries, Landis decides instead to donate them, almost just for the fun of it. However, all good things eventually must come to an end, including Landis’ run. An enterprising museum registrar eventually comes across his scam and doggedly pursues him, eventually bringing him to the attention of the art community.
Throughout the film, the viewer feels pity, admiration, scorn and confusion for the artist. He obviously possesses talent, but his pursuits aren’t exactly enviable. He also lacks any real direction, not really having any idea why he’s doing what he’s doing. Sadly, the film itself seems to suffer from a similar problem. Too often, it gets bogged down with its attempts to flesh out Landis and help the audience identify or connect with him. These moments do not make for interesting filmmaking, and had me looking at my watch to see how much longer I would have to spend watching Landis watch TV and attempt to explain the motives for his actions. Ultimately, the film slows down too many times to really grip on the viewers' attention.
While “Art and Craft” provides a deep exploration of the bizarre cat–and–mouse game between Landis and his pursuers, it lacks a real sense of urgency, sauntering along to its own pace and ultimately leaving the audience wanting more.
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