"My Kid Could Paint That"

  

  Ever wondered how some simple pieces of art can sell for thousands while some really detailed pieces only sell for hundreds?  Recently, I watched the documentary “My Kid Could Paint That,” which tackled that question along with what defines a child prodigy. For a short summary of the documentary, the film was about a child named Marla who only at four years of age had people buying her abstract paintings for thousands of dollars. Although, upon reviewing footage of Marla paining, child psychologist on the sixty-minute show put out into the world that she thought Marla’s artistic father was finishing her pieces for her and instructing her on what to do. This film was heavy on the pathos and ethos, as it tackled emotional topics such greed, hateful comments, the struggles of a family, and most importantly honesty and credibility versus video proof. 

    One scene that got to me was a scene in which cameramen were filming Marla painting. While being filmed, she was painting like a regular child instead of painting in a style similar to her off camera masterful works of art. Immediately, her dad got defensive and told the cameramen that she never paints this childishly off the camera. I was quite upset by this exchange, and a bit confused because this moment really made it seem as though her most famous and expert looking paintings weren’t really hers. A separate moment that caught me off guard was when Marla’s parents continued hosting more art galleries while attempting to make Marla’s paintings famous again even after the family was ridiculed after the airing of the sixty-minute episode. I feel as though both events surprised me and frustrated me because even with an open mind it still seemed as though they cared more about their reputation than the well-being of Marla. From the very beginning of the documentary, the fact was made well known that Marla herself did not like talking to others and showing off her work. Yet, her parents took her away from her childhood and had her talk to adults and news reporters just to get more money and fame. Even when it all fell, both of Marla’s parents still craved that fame, ignoring Marla’s wishes to be a child and continuing to disregard her brother, Zain, because he wasn’t famous. 

 

    After watching this film, I am flabbergasted at what I just watched. On one hand, I cannot believe a family would be so greedy as to push their shy child into the spotlight for their own gains. Yet, every time I tried to believe otherwise, the documentary would bring up a reason for me to question the parent’s honest and commitments to their children’s well beings. Yet isn’t that the purpose of a documentary, to show a truth or narrative? That is also why one cannot include research within documentary summaries, because some topics such as these are easily swayed by the media and others’ opinions which may discredit what the documentary is about or trying to say. Also, documentaries are not about logic and specifics anyways. They are about diving deep into the viewers feelings while both answering and unveiling questions that viewers may have.