Kusama Infinity (2018) Review

Kusama Infinity's inner spirit is simply like the artist that it's depicting. Fun, anarchist, and beautifully realized. Kusama Infinity is easily the best documentary I have seen this year so far, and not only does it detail the life journey of famed Japanese Rogue Artist Yayoi Kusama, it also depicts her life in a serious yet well maintained light atmosphere. With it's short run time of 76 minutes, Kusama Infinity doesn't have a single minute wasted. Not a single scene/segment was boring and I was always hooked to the images presented on screen. It's simply an enthralling look at one of the most under rated contemporary artists from the 20th century.

With this said, Kusama Infinity is not flawless. While it's execution was well done, there wasn't anything innovatively done to improve on the documentary genre. David Lynch: The Art Life, a film that was released last year, did a much better job depicting a real life figure in a very horror-esque way. With this film however, it feels by the numbers, similar to how I felt watching national geographic documentaries when I was in elementary school. While much better than said National Geographic Docs, Kusama Infinity still lacks. It needed a little push with it's artistic license. As well, there were several interviews throughout the film, that looks out dated. I'm fine if you're going to use previously recorded documentary footage from years previously. What I do have a problem with, is if the previously used footage is not used/executed in a proper manner. The simple solution to this problem? Just condense the footage. While this isn't much of a big complaint, it certainly took me out of the film experience.

Kusama Infinity is an enthralling look at a famed artist that does not drag on nor feel like a slog. Films like these need to be made more often. It's equal parts inspirational and motivating. A must watch for any wannabe artist who is intrigued in international contemporary art.

Rating:
7.5/10