'Stealing Magic' Review
- Dempsey Pillot
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
Director: Matthew Testa.
Release Date: --/--/-- [Festival Run]
Genre: Documentary.
MPAA: Not Rated.
Runtime: 88 minutes.
The Verdict: A Must-See
A secret alliance of magicians using their tricks and wit to stop a thief on the other side of the world…It sounds like the premise of the next installment of Now You See It. But it’s actually a description of the events that unfold in real time in the brilliant documentary Stealing Magic.
You don’t have to be a genius to see that magic isn’t the most profitable career path. Very few magicians sell out arenas. Even fewer can command the airwaves for a one-hour special. And if they do, there has to be some death-defying gimmick. So, as the film establishes early on, many modern magicians settle for smaller gigs while primarily making their money inventing and selling tricks. The business itself may not be enough to make them household names or millionaires, but it’s enough to keep their stores open and to feed their families.
One day, a mysterious online shop named Erdnase Magic Store opens. But unlike several existing enterprises, the cost of all magic merchandise is significantly cheaper. Desperate to find out who is undercutting the magic community’s trust and stealing sales, two magicians begin an investigation and uncover a clever digital-age Houdini.
The film is an excellent exercise in cinéma vérité, courtesy of director Matthew Testa. Not only because it’s hard to predict what will happen next, but because of how willing he is to follow our subjects no matter where their search takes them. One of the best examples of this is a sequence that follows the two subjects as they devise a fake trick to track down Erdnase's owner. When the trick is ultimately ordered by the culprit, they track it down to Prague. No plan. No assistance from authorities. While the odds are stacked against them, they still manage to pull some useful information with help from a local magician they “recruit.” While impressive, it’s also a moment where the audience is reminded that these are just ordinary people.
No one commissions the subjects to do this. And they are not properly equipped to do anything should they succeed. Yet they persist because they just want to do the right thing. The film acts as a cautionary tale in that regard because it proves how blind a pursuit of justice can be when you are the one who has been wronged. It isn’t until they are struck with realistic threats and an odd yet crazy (coincidental?) incident that the illusion is shattered, and they start to realize they have no idea who they are chasing.
Admittedly, when the magicians finally decide to do things the proper way, the film’s gimmick is also shattered. Yes, Erdnase is exposed in the most legal way possible. But the conversation also shifts from who is responsible to why. As Testa transitions us into a Jason Bourne-esque thriller, he pulls back the curtain again and turns the film into a meaningful conversation about intellectual property and piracy. While it is a natural progression point for the story, it’s not entirely satisfactory. In the process of discussing the larger issue, the film nearly undoes itself by sounding sympathetic to those who created Erdnase. Fortunately, the subjects do not have as much sympathy, maintaining their conviction to emphasize how much damage this single person has done to their industry.
Even though the climactic tone change prevents it from being a flawless act, Stealing Magic has all the hallmarks of a good trick. Its spell-binding structure will amaze you, confuse you, and stay with you long after the curtain closes. Not just because you’ll be wondering how the magicians pulled some of it off. But because it sneakily shows you that real magic doesn’t come from a single word or wand. It comes from the power and prestige of passion.
