Beautiful Losers (2008) Movie Review

The film follows a group of artists who reflect on their youth and young adulthood finding like-minded individuals and creating art freely. The film interviews Aaron Rose, Cherly Dunn, Ed Templeton, Barry McGee, Margret Kilgallen, Steven "Espo" Powers,  Harmony Korine, Johanna Jackson, Chris Johanson, Thomas Campbell, Shepard Fairey, Mike Mills, and Geoff McFetridge. These artists were all connected through the art scene and were inspired by each other throughout their careers. What I like about this documentary, is that the artists speak very truthfully about the events in their lives that have put them at this moment. Many of the artists featured are interviewed in their studios, homes, out on the street, etc. I loved seeing the change in environments as all the artists are given their chance to speak. I really enjoyed watching this film and getting to know these artists on a more intimate level.  

The film starts by asking the artists about their childhood, things like "What did you want to be when you were little?" and  "what was the first drawing you remember making?".Aaron Rose tells a funny anecdote about his childhood dream of being a garbage collector and having a birthday party where his parents took him to visit the local dump. Jo Jackson describes her first drawing where she drew bunny homes and even recalls the composition. Their teen years are where a lot of their artistic influences came from. Most of the artists say they were outcasts and were introduced to the world of punk, graffiti, and skateboarding. They transformed themselves from being just "freaks" to "cool freaks" once they immersed themselves into the art world. Skateboarding also became an important factor in their artistic development because it taught them endurance. Skaters spend hours practicing, falling down, and getting back up to try again.  In the beginning, skateboarding was an activity associated with delinquency but to them, it was an art form that had no right or wrong way. Harmony Korine says it was like an art form than sport to him because "there were no rules to it it was almost like dancing". Skateboarding became popularized by Mark Gonzales, who was also an artist. Many of the artists in the film give him praise for mastering the craft of both skateboarding and art.

Mark Gonzales Skating Photo by Mark Oblow 

Another important factor was street art and graffiti. Many of the artists including Margret Kilgallen, found that street art was important work because it connected you to the community. Many artists found their roots in tagging and graffiti. Stephen "Espo" Powers says when he moved to New York he was captivated by the atmosphere. His first day there he was exposed to the chaos of the streets and became captivated by New York. The landscape of tall buildings, alleys, billboards, cops, and people made him feel like it was the perfect platform for his work. Power's said it was a "great mountain top to yell your message from".  The city also felt like the "real world" for some artist who grew up in the suburbs that felt like a "fake" staged world. 

Stephen "Espo" Powers in action (source: Pinterest)

Aaron Rose also arrived in New York and had been offered a place that he later turned into "Alleged" Art Gallery. In the beginning, it was just a space where you could be surrounded by art while you partied, but is then transformed into a place to connect, be encouraged, and inspired. These young artists did not have knowledge of the traditional art world or formal galleries. Let alone did they think they were creating art anyone wanted to exhibit and buy. Alleged Art Gallery was a place where you could have others come into your world, where there was no stakes and no money. It allowed artists to be free and create what they wanted to see in the world. Rose would arrange the shows although he had little money and sometimes worried that they would be evicted or have the power shut off at any moment. The artists he invited would work for days on end getting their pieces ready for the opening, and some would even bring sleeping bags to spend the night at the gallery instead of a hotel. Rose calls Alleged his life's work, and when the gallery closed its doors for good, he felt like it was a death. The gallery Aaron Rose created meant a lot to all the artists in this film because they had created a family from all the friends they met there and it reminded them of their youth. Many of the artists that had their first shows at Alleged went on to have big success. 

Alleged Gallery (Image from Vice )

Geoff McFetrdige worked with companies like Pepsi and Mike Mills also created work for big companies as well. They began to feel like "adults" when they were hired by companies and were getting "pampered" by galleries and such. It made them feel valuable too. They were all once outcasts, freaks, weirdos, etc but now they were gaining so much praise and attention. With the attention also came the pressure, since their work was being commercialized and broadcasted to the public. They were even invited in 2001 to go to Tokyo, to create art and have gallery shows. They were flown out to Japan and given thousands in money to spend by the company. The trip was documented on film by Cheryl Dunn, she felt this experience was so important to remember since the group had begun with nothing and had now garnered international acclaim. The group of artists created a "mass destruction" show where they demolished cars in a small makeshift public arena. Surprisingly the company that had hired them encouraged it. The group came together for another show that was curated by Aaron Rose called "Beautiful Losers" that traveled and was exhibited internationally. The show "Beautiful Losers" was made possible from the early efforts of all the artists to form and create a family where they could encourage and inspire each other. A family of outcasts that followed an unconventional route in life and never stopped creating art. 

McFetridge's campaign for Pepsi (Credit: Flickr)

Margaret Kilgallen unfortunately passed, she is survived by her husband Barry McGee and her daughter Asha McGee. The film "Beautiful Losers" captures the legacy and impact her work and life have. 

Margaret Kilgallen (credit: Interview Magazine)

Watch "Beautiful Losers" Here

Total Time: 1 Hour 30mins