Beyond the Call
Synopsis
One Bad Cat is about the transformative role art plays in the tumultuous life of 82-year-old, African-American, renowned “outsider” artist Reverend Albert Wagner. Wagner has been a lightening rod for controversy his entire life. Through his primitive yet powerful paintings, personal stories in voice over, and interviews with his family, two mistresses, art experts and patrons, the film explores how racism, ego and lust led Albert to incarceration and to the brink of ruin. Miraculously turned onto religion at age 50, he was inspired by God to paint. He became an ordained minister, and both he and his work have appeared in many private collections, national publications and museums worldwide.Influenced by his racist Southern upbringing, his controversial artwork sometimes rails against the lifestyles of members of the African-American community. While encouraging them to strengthen their spirituality and live up to their potential, he simultaneously accuses the community of self-oppression, a disregard for familial responsibility and a weakness for sexual gratification. Are Albert’s beliefs and the subjects of his paintings and sculptures a consequence of internalized racism? Could they be his personal rationalization for his past behavior in his quest for self redemption? Or might they be partially based on his clientele of mostly white patrons who Albert believes must validate his work in order to attract black buyers? One Bad Cat explores why, during Albert’s pursuit of salvation through his art, he creates as many detractors as champions.
