Film asks, 'Can a kid really paint that?'

"I didn't want to be in the film. In this case it seemed more truthful to draw attention to the fact that this is not the 'true' story of the Olmsteads but a representation of them by a fallible storyteller."

The family wanted Bar-Lev to save their reputation and show definitively that Marla was the sole creative force behind her works, but either the girl was too shy to produce the works with anybody other than her parents around or she was receiving help from somebody else.

The documentary doesn't attempt to provide a definitive answer.

"It would have been easier if I found proof, one way or another. I am gratified that different people draw wildly different conclusions. I myself had both conflicting conclusions in my head. Sometimes changing every ten minutes."

The viewer may pick sides but the director wanted "to reflect my own ambivalence and uncertainty."

Some of the experience of the film was painful for the director because he had grown close to the Olmstead family.

"I very much liked them and I still like them," although the relationship is distant but changing all the time.

"It is a very complicated relationship. We are going to be in each other's lives for a long time now." The showing at Sundance and the world-wide distribution of the film ties the filmmaker and the family tighter together.

"I hope the film doesn't impact Marla. One thing I struggled with is that she may not even remember the time when it was all filmed. I wonder if the film — I am not saying it will but I wonder — if it will be a recollection for her."

Marla is still painting and her parents have managed to capture two videos of her creating art from start to finish, the second now available on the family's web site, www.marlaolmstead.com. After her career stalled, the now seven-year-old has regained some of the lost status in the art community.

The Marla Olmstead saga isn't over.

"It is very much still happening," the filmmaker said.

The film was made completely on the hope that it would someday be make it big. Recently A&E Indie Films picked up the North American TV rights, becoming an investor in the film. A&E benefits from the film's theatrical deal and will provide flexibility on how the show is seen on television. But during the making of the film it was most often a two-man operation with partner Stephen Dunn, although they hired help along the way. Only recently has the film been picked up by a larger team to help take it to Sundance and beyond. But despite all his struggles, the filmmaker doesn't think his job was the hardest part.

"They (the Olmsteads) are real people, not movie characters. It has given me way more respect for subjects of documentaries. It is way easier to be on the other side of the camera."