The Barefoot Artist (2014)

The Barefoot Artist (2014). 1h 23m | Not Rated

“Greetings again from the darkness. Those who strive to make the world a better place deserve their moment in the spotlight. Lily Yeh is an artist with whom you may be familiar if youu0026#39;ve ever stumbled upon the Village of Arts and Humanities in northern Philadelphia. Or possibly you have seen her beautification projects in other parts of the globe – Rwanda, Kenya, Taiwan, Mexico or numerous other areas that once desperately needed a facelift.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMs. Yeh is a spry 70 year old who was born in China and educated in the United States. Her father was a general in the Chiang Kai-shek army, and was a natural leader and brilliant war strategist. Because of this, she was raised in prestige and with respect. Much of her early motivation came from her fatheru0026#39;s inspiration and she clearly worshiped him. It wasnu0026#39;t until Lily had her (beautifully detailed) landscape paintings ignored by the public in favor of the pop art of the 60u0026#39;s did she come to realize that true art must come from within. And thus began her journey of self-discovery.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is co-directed by Glenn Holsten and Daniel Traub. Mr. Traub is Lilyu0026#39;s son from a failed marriage, and as with many documentaries, his closeness to the subject is both a blessing and a curse. The film is a bit awkwardly divided into two segments. By far the more interesting is the story of Lilyu0026#39;s global work in bringing u0026quot;art to places lacking in beautyu0026quot;. One of her projects is a memorial for a mass grave in a Rwandan Genocide Survivoru0026#39;s Village. Her efforts turn a shabby lean-to into a beautiful place for reflection and peace.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe other story line plays as more of a home movie than a documentary. We follow Lily as she chases her fatheru0026#39;s history through his journal entries. His writings take her back to her birth country of China as she uncovers a family secret that leads to more surprises. Itu0026#39;s understandable why co-director Traub sees the value in documenting this, but it doesnu0026#39;t really play for the rest of us.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLily Yeh is a fascinating woman who has made a real difference in many part of the world. She states u0026quot;beauty is intimately engaged with darknessu0026quot; and follows through on her vision. When the movie concentrates on Lilyu0026#39;s philosophy and wisdom, we get gems like u0026quot;broken places are my canvasu0026quot;. Her personal journey of self-discovery is where her value lies. She confesses that she u0026quot;was the one who needed helpu0026quot; and u0026quot;was missing somethingu0026quot;. Bringing art and beauty to those places and people lacking, is what allowed Lily to find her own center. And thatu0026#39;s a beautiful thing.”