There’s nothing unusual in an artist getting to know their subject; by developing a relationship whilst their subject sits for them, this bond can aid providing the emotional connection between the two, onto the canvas.

In this Norwegian documentary however, there’s a twist in that the artist’s model has not long since been caught for stealing her artwork.

After fleeing an abusive relationship of her home in the Czech Republic, artist Barbora Kysilkova finds safety in Norway.

She puts on a big show, with some her of larger pieces of work on display. Unfortunately, two of her biggest and most prized pieces of work are stolen from the gallery. Barbora soon gets a call however from the police, who inform her that they have found the culprits whole stole her work, but sadly without retrieving her work.

When the case comes up, with only one person being prosecuted, Karl Bertil-Nordland, Barbora attends the court. There, she gets the opportunity to approach the accused, and ask if it would be OK for them to meet. He agrees.

It’s here that a curious friendship soon begins to develop, where Barbora ends up having the man who stole her art as her artistic muse.

This is the type of documentary that has that air of unbelievability that could make it an intriguing work of fiction. Norwegian director Benjamin Ree is acutely aware of this, as his work often feels like it’s walking a tightrope between fact and fiction.

It throws a few moral questions into the mix too, with both individuals seemingly coming from volatile backgrounds, with their relationship developing into something strangely co-dependent.

There is also a point in the film where it feels one of them completely abandons the other, without any kind of justification given.

And in another scene, another moral issue is raised, a slightly more disturbing one, where it appears that the film crew allow a clearly drugged-up individual to take to the public roads, which results in a near fatal accident. Certainly the way its shot, it feels a worrying lack of responsibility on the crew’s behalf to let something like that happen to one of their main contributors.

The film’s finale is also slightly uncomfortable, as it hints at either a deeper relationship between the pair, or simply a disappointing level of narcissism from the artist herself. And with recent interviews with Babora stating that she’s still with her boyfriend and Karl is doing well in a new relationship, it feels sadly that the latter of the two is true.

Still, it’s the kind of documentary that you file under ‘you can’t make this shit up’, and although not a great work of art, it manages to leave a few lasting impressions.