Matthew Barney: No Restraint

The Village Voice calls Matthew Barney: No Restraint “an astonishingly voluptuous skeleton key to Matthew Barney,” who the New York Times dubs “the most important American artist of his generation.” Well, call me a philistine; I don't get it. Thankfully, the Times' chief art critic Michael Kimmelman is on hand in Alison Chernick's documentary profile to illustrate the proper reaction to Barney's work. But, frankly, this “making-of” look at Barney's bizarre film Drawing Restraint 9 (which has received very mixed reviews) feels more like a DVD extra than a standalone film. I suppose it's cool and weird that Barney's experimental film involved a sculpture made of 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly assembled on a Japanese whaling ship—a commentary on Japan's whaling culture, you see—but I don't feel any better informed about Barney's supposed importance as an artist after watching No Restraint. Still, I now know that Björk—Barney's girlfriend, costar, and composer for his film—thinks he's a genius, but I could probably have guessed her opinion beforehand. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include some truly interesting time-lapse photography of what happens to 45,000 pounds of Vaseline when you let it solidify from a liquid, as well as interviews with Barney, Bjork, and Michael Kimmelman. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an unimpressive documentary.] (M. Johanson)