Art & Krimes By Krimes (2022)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Jesse Krimes has a fascinating story and it makes for a wonderful documentary, overlooked unfortunately in 2022.
Alysa Nahmias is a filmmaker I will watch tell any story, at any time. As a director and producer, she simply finds captivating stories to bring to the screen.
Nothing wrong with a movie that leaves you smiling and feeling good.
NO
May be limited in scope for some people, leaving more questions to be answered.
Intimate and soft-spoken, much like its subject. Allows it to get overlooked for showier, bigger titles within a similar genre.
After a festival run and brief theatrical release, resides on the fledgling Paramount+ platform, which may be a barrier to accessing the film.
OUR REVIEW
Sometimes the most interesting and engaging films are the ones who just stick to the simplicity of the story they are trying to tell. For Art & Krimes by Krimes, director Alysa Nahmias has everything she could ever want in her subject - Jesse Krimes.
Krimes is kind, giving to the process, and an artist of impeccable scope and vision. Nahmias largely puts the camera on Jesse, trusting that his personality and story will be all she needs to create a statement on the power of art as healer, rehabilitator, and a force to bring people together.
At times, Nahmias’ film is as nurturing to the artist as it is brave enough to allow the subject to present his truth. Film itself can be a tool for healing and the trust between Krimes and Nahmias is readily apparent throughout this heartfelt documentary.
Krimes’ story is one steeped in tragedy and all too familiar in our world. Raised by a single teenage mother, drug and addiction surrounded his world until he, himself, was busted for dealing in his teenage years. A creative, he channeled the time spent incarcerated towards creating art of various kinds, using items available to him to bring his visions to life.
Careful to not create anything that would run afoul of the parameters of his incarceration, Krimes had all the art he made sent home. Upon his release, he turned those creations into a larger, reflective piece on his time spent in prison; and specifically, a 40-foot mural named after the incarceration number which branded him for time spent in lockdown.
Released into a world that proves challenging and oftentimes resistant to his efforts to better and improve himself, Krimes is open and honest with his story, experiences, and struggles. A captivating personality, Nahmias also frequently observes the artist at work, and we in turn become fascinated by the scope and vision of what he produces.
Rather conventional in layout, Art & Krimes by Krimes may seem to be a rather nondescript film about an intriguing person. Yet the more you settle with it, and the more it settles with you, the film becomes a rather engrossing watch. It is impossible to not see the good in Jesse Krimes, as he brings people forward and gives back in ways to support those who supported him through a difficult journey in his life.
If anything, Nahmias has gifted audiences a palette cleanser of a film in a most divisive time. We all can find something to feel inspired by through the work, the words, and the fearless honesty of Jesse Krimes.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Jesse Krimes, Russell Craig, Jared Owens, Gilberto Rivera
Director: Alysa Nahmias
Release Date: September 30, 2022
MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+