Scream of the Soul (2022)

Joe Boehler is anxious, he faces an important challenge. He will soon exhibit 52 recent paintings. The artist has known immense success and has spent a lifetime reflecting on what makes his work great. Now, at age 76, he will face his audience yet again, and will discover whether art really transcends time and people. Boehler's path to art was crooked. A former boxer, soldier and violent prisoner, he once said that his choice was to murder people or to express himself to them. His journey from the poor mining suburbs of Strasbourg to win the prestigious Seven Hills of Rome Prize was only the first stage of his life. Now, we listen to how he engages with his torments, and pours his soul into his self-portraits. Art for him is an act of self-discovery, as much for himself as for his viewers. The question is, will Boehler's later works inspire his audiences as did the work of his youth? Is art eternal or fleeting? The documentary reveals the answers.