Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei here in America. But there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with some of his work, for example the bird’s nest design of the 2008 Olympic Stadium in Beijing, yup, designed by Ai Weiwei, okay interesting right? But, would you and could you imagine that the same artist would turn his back on that very piece of art, and subsequently the government that commissioned it? Would you believe that the Chinese government would attempt to silence such a prominent figure of their modern art culture? It would be hard to understand such a dichotomy right? Still, one thing is certain, Ai Weiwei has a message, a ten ton political lead weight of a message designed to wake up the world and inspire people to question what their government stands for. Dense with material from start to finish documentarian Alison Klayman has spent several years with the artist to bring this story of inspiration and frustration to the eyes of the uninitiated. Yet, while the material is all fascinating fodder for discussion, and, it’s clear that the artist still has plenty more up his sleeve to play with; unfortunately, the hook or angle to tell the story from seems to be lost in translation. In a way it’s as though we’ve been given a time capsule, it’s full of interesting artifacts, perhaps too many, and we’re left to decipher what all’s happening or why. Ultimately the film is interesting from a political standpoint and an artistic standpoint, I just wish Klayman told the story in a more compelling manner, a way that would make me want to dig deeper and learn more. Oh well, maybe a rental later for the art history buffs. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is rated R