Matthew Barney: No Restraint

"A bit like a cinematic catalog for a gallery retrospective, it serves to explain Barney to a wider audience."

VARIETY

"What’s undeniable is the happy aesthetic synthesis between Barney’s purview and Japanese culture, evinced in the striking footage of the towering architecture of an oil refinery town, which is the setting for a breathtaking ceremonial procession consisting of dozens of brightly-clad dancers bringing oil to the whaling ship. As one Japanese admirer observes, “When Western artists use our culture, it usually makes us cringe, but not so with Barney.” Björk’s music was a vital, gorgeous, humanizing contribution to Drawing Restraint 9, and she reveals its secrets in her typically quirky-profound fashion."

FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

"This slim, heady portrait of the athletic model-turned-artist vacillates between episodic hagiography and absorbing analysis. Those who savor his beguiling films will relish watching the creative process that produces such cryptic, mysterious raptures."

TIME OUT NEW YORK

"Insightful, and worthy of Barney in its visual beauty."

NEWSDAY

"Like Barney’s best work, it’s as baffling as it is mesmerizing…Chernick may not answer every question about this beguiling and enigmatic film, but you wouldn’t want it to: Mystery is an essential part of the Barney experience."

TV GUIDE

"Barney is a charismatic figure, whose looks and modest manner create an appealing screen presence…Chernick’s documentary (and her subject) eloquently trace Barney’s inspiration and intention in a way that naturalizes rather than neuters them."

VILLAGE VOICE