Matthew Barney: No Restraint

Name: Matthew Barney: No Restraint
Genre: Documentary
Released: December 20, 2006
Duration: 72 min
Rating: 59

2006

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Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC First Take | Release Date: December 20, 2006

Summary: How does artist Matthew Barney use 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly, a factory whaling vessel and traditional Japanese rituals to create his latest art project? Barney plowed the waters off the coast of Nagasaki to film his massive endeavor, Drawing Restraint 9. The documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint journeys to Japan with Barney andHow does artist Matthew Barney use 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly, a factory whaling vessel and traditional Japanese rituals to create his latest art project? Barney plowed the waters off the coast of Nagasaki to film his massive endeavor, Drawing Restraint 9. The documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint journeys to Japan with Barney and his collaborator Bjork, as the visual artist creates a "narrative sculpture" telling a fantastical love story of two characters that transform from land mammals into whales. (IFC First Take)… Expand

Director: Alison Chernick

Genre(s): Documentary

Runtime: 72 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Regina Hackett

Maybe because I happen to be reading "Moby Dick" and was therefore more open to the wider world of whale metaphor, I found Chernick's view of Barney and his working entourage riveting. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

Chernick may not answer every question about this beguiling and enigmatic film, but you wouldn't want it to: Mystery is an essential part of the Barney experience. Read full review

Leslie Felperin

Whatever audiences might have wanted to know about sculptor-filmmaker Matthew Barney but were too embarrassed to ask is revealed in accessible documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint. Read full review

Frank Scheck

While not as balanced or fully satisfying as it should be, Matthew Barney: No Restraint will fit naturally as a pairing for future theatrical and DVD exposures of Barney's controversial works. Read full review

Michelle Orange

Chernick's film traces the creation of Barney's "narrative sculpture" with open curiosity and an alert, amiable eye. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Alison Chernick's film skims the surface of a strange and celebrated career. After a meager 72 minutes, the man who once stretched an obsession with testicles into a five-film cycle remains as unknowable as ever. Read full review

Ken Johnson

As blandly lucid as Barney's is wildly and perplexingly imaginative. Read full review

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User Reviews

dougfan

Feb 20, 2017

Totally brilliant. Respects the viewer by letting the artistry unfold without too much commentary and voice-over. Amazing portrait of an artist at work, along with fascinating glimpses of Bjork and Japan.

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billylenz

Sep 26, 2012

absolutely breathtaking

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JamesL.

Dec 21, 2006

Much is revealed about the artist's method but little is revealed about the artist himself in this compelling documentary. I was confused after seeing his Cremaster Cycle at the Guggenheim; I am still confused after seeing this movie - and that is not an entirely bad thing. Go with an Much is revealed about the artist's method but little is revealed about the artist himself in this compelling documentary. I was confused after seeing his Cremaster Cycle at the Guggenheim; I am still confused after seeing this movie - and that is not an entirely bad thing. Go with an open mind.… Expand

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jacobf.

Dec 29, 2006

A hybrid of Walt Disney and Marilyn Manson... icky and banal. But it's very very trendy, and what else really matters?

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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