THE THIEF COLLECTOR
Who stole Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre”? For 30 years, the theft of the abstract expressionist oil painting confounded the art community. Then valued at $400,000, it hung at a University of Arizona museum, and on Thanksgiving Day 1985, a couple calmly entered and cut it from its frame. Despite law enforcement’s best efforts, it wasn’t recovered — until New Mexico antique dealers inconspicuously acquired it in an estate sale, retrieving it from Jerry and Rita Alter’s bedroom wall in 2017. The discovery sparked an exuberant celebration and an unresolvable investigation into the couple. Who were the Alters? Were they the quiet retired teachers family and friends described, or was something more sinister hiding behind an unassuming façade? This highly stylized true crime documentary unravels the mystery behind the brazen art heist and the enigmatic couple thought responsible. Featuring playful reenactments starring It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton, this fun, quirky film keeps viewers guessing until its stranger-than-fiction conclusion.
CAST: Glenn Howerton, Sarah Minnich
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