(US—2006—directed by Amir Bar-Lev)

One of the most provocative “stranger than fiction” movies in years, this fascinating and acclaimed new documentary tells the story of Marla Olmstead, a tot from upstate New York who at age 4 won international fame as a “pint-sized Pollock,” producing a remarkable series of precocious abstract paintings – only to be debunked and ridiculed when an investigative piece on “60 Minutes” cast serious doubt on the authenticity of Marla’s work. The program suggested strongly that the paintings were actually being done by Marla’s father, himself an amateur painter. Rather than further exploiting the situation of Marla and her family, director Bar-Lev has instead fashioned something else: a remarkably rich portrait of the value of art, the power of the media to both exalt and exploit, and, ultimately, the very nature of truth. A major discovery, My Kid Could Paint That is one of the year’s essential American films. (83 min.)

“Engrossing, intelligent and compelling. As striking in its craftsmanship as in its potent subject matter.” -Dennis Harvey, Variety