This feature film follows the story of fictional forger, Harry Donovan, on his mission to create and sell a “Rembrandt” in coordination with a group of con men. His main motive is money, but a tie to his father sends him to Europe to study the masters. Throughout the film, Harry has a romantic relationship with a Rembrandt connoisseur who recognizes that the work is indeed a forgery, while others asked, “if it’s not a Rembrandt, what is it?” While some components of this film accurately depict the work of real forgers—like Harry’s careful selection of time-appropriate materials and techniques for creating patina—most of the film was highly dramatized. It features a love story, a murder, and an intense chase from law enforcement, all of which frame the forger as the hero of the story. The main character struggles with the morality of his forgery and other crimes he finds himself involved in, and a scene in court allows him to prove what makes an artwork real, echoing forger Han van Meegren’s real life. Incognito romanticizes forgery and equates it to an exciting and relatively harmless venture, and also disputes the validity of connoisseurship and authenticity.
Available on Tubi for free: https://tubitv.com/movies/556385/incognito?utm_source=google-feed&tracking=google-feed
By Julia Pfau