A mental institution as a fertile environment for creating modern art? The artwork in THE LIVING MUSEUM argues convincing that mental instability and impressive art can go hand in hand.
The museum director of "The Living Museum," located within the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York, reasons that, because there are no rules there, it provides a rich breeding ground for the development of art. He compares the artistic results favorably with pieces on display in prestigious galleries like the Whitney. Based on this untrained eye, he's right.
Even if the art is striking, the documentary by previous Oscar winner Jessica Yu (BREATHING LESSONS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARK O'BRIEN) isn't. She divides the movie into chapters with one for each patient/artist, but the interviewees all speak in dull monotones. The museum director and psychologist, Dr. Janos Marton is the most soporific of all.
The intent is always clear. The Dr. Marton sees the patients, who range from mildly ill outpatients to quite sick inpatients, as being helped by creating art, which is a form of therapy. He brags that his artists are free of the pretensions normally found in the art world. He believes that psychotic breakdowns free the mind to artistic possibilities and that the act of painting provides catharsis.
THE LIVING MUSEUM is the sort of good intentioned film that critics don't like to criticize. It's easier to offer a few meaningless platitudes and be done with it. As much as I enjoyed the three Jessica Yu short films I've seen before this one, THE LIVING MUSEUM is never compelling. The art it displays is interesting, but the interviews aren't. The people are all slightly quirky, as you would expect, but they drone so much that I never felt involved. Perhaps as a tightly edited short, it would have worked, but as a feature length movie, it is dreadfully dull.
THE LIVING MUSEUM runs 1:20. It is not rated but would be PG for brief nudity and some sexuality and would be fine for kids old enough to be interested.
