Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present (2012) | agoodmovietowatch
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Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present 2012

Our Take (by Jamie Rutherford)

As about as good as documentaries come, this is a truly entrancing narrative on famed Serbian artist Marina Abramović as she prepares for her titular 2010 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Equal parts personal history, exposition of her artistic persona and presentation of her ultimate performance: a 736-hour piece where she ensconced herself silently in a chair and allowed museum-goers to sit before her, one at a time. An ostensibly peculiar concept made enchanting and invigorating by supreme cinematography and editing, not to mention the presence of the artist herself – a sensual and fascinating individual. Made me wish desperately that I had waited all those hours to sit before her.

Notable Critics

"Abramovic is nothing less than magnetic."

— Davina Quinlivan

"An intelligent overview that makes a radical artist's work comprehensible to audiences with no previous awareness of her or her chosen path."

— Robert Koehler

Synopsis

Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Awards

Berlin

1 win

Won: Documentary Film (Panorama Audience Award)

Spirit Awards

1 nomination

Nominated: Best Documentary

Sundance

1 nomination

Nominated: Official Selection

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About the author

Jamie Rutherford

Jamie Rutherford is a contributing writer at A Good Movie to Watch, with film reviews spanning a wide range of genres and eras. Their work on the site has covered titles from Behind the Candelabra to Last Days in Vietnam to Love is Strange.