A documentary about Microsoft Paint that will make you cry

More specifically , “ The Pixel Painter ” is a microdocumentary about 97 - twelvemonth - old Hal Lasko ( aka “ Grandpa ” ) , a former in writing artist who started creating in Microsoft Paint when he lose his sightedness . Today , he spends up to ten hour a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. shaping 8 - bit masterpieces one pixel at a fourth dimension .

“ We got Grandpa a electronic computer believably fifteen yr ago , ” read Lasko ’s grandson , Ryan . “ I knew I had to show him Microsoft Paint . And once I did , he took off with it . It was n’t until days later that we pull in how important this thing was to him . ”

Lasko leverages Paint ’s rapid climb sport to majuscule effect , using it to search subject topic range from autumn foliage to place main road ( “ a small statement about a big subject , ” he says of the latter ) . But the themes of his macrocosm almost do n’t matter . Directed byJosh Bogdan , “ The Pixel Painter ” is as much an exploration of technical empowerment as it is a tribute to artistry in general ; at its core , it ’s a poignant ode to passion , biography , and the will to create .