Velvet Buzzsaw: Dan Gilroy's Art World Horror Film Divides Critics

Dan Gilroy's film 'Velvet Buzzsaw,' premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and released on Netflix, presents a satirical horror-thriller set in the contemporary art world of Los Angeles. The story follows art critic Morf Vandewalt (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and gallerist Rhodora, whose lives are disrupted by a cache of paintings left by a deceased, unknown artist named Vitril Dease. The artist's dying wish was that his works be burned, not sold. As characters seek to profit from the art, they are mysteriously killed. The film critiques the commodification of art and references real artists like Andres Serrano, Marc Quinn, and Jeff Koons. Critics are divided: some praise its visual style and originality, while others find the script loses direction. The film explores themes of exclusivity, wealth, and the danger of art that exploits suffering.