Kevin Hearn, keyboardist for The Barenaked Ladies and an avid art collector, accidentally opened a can of worms by purchasing a painting by late indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau.  During an exhibit of Hearn’s curated pieces at the Art Gallery of Ontario, his Morrisseau was proven to be bogus.  This pivotal event (which also led to a lengthy court case) pulled a thread, unravelling conflicting opinions surrounding a remarkable mystery behind Morrisseau’s work.

Director Jamie Kastner (The Skyjacker’s Tale) takes on a daunting task by telling this story, which is made up of varying clues, loud personalities, and contradicting sources of information.  Kastner does a good job creating a comprehensible experience for the viewer but, even at two hours, the audience still feels like there are more nitty-gritty details to sort through.  It’s a winding road to unpack answers in There Are No Fakes, and understandably so.

But once the documentarian finds the root to this story, he sticks with it.  With nurturing diligence, Kastner makes sure he gives the film’s full attention to the vulnerable subjects speaking candidly for the doc.  The results uncovered in There Are No Fakes will leave you speechless.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie