Jack, a young painter, has just won his first major commission and Tom, an equally inexperienced documentary filmmaker, is following his progress. When Jack's client rejects his initial sketches he is gripped with panic, convinced that he's in over his head. He soon becomes distraught, pushing away his friends' attempts to help as his stress sours into an insidious anxiety. Over the following days his worry engulfs other areas of his life, as he struggles to fulfill his commission. 'The Painter' exposes the effects of anxiety of the lives of creative professionals, and questions the price documentary filmmakers and their subjects can end up paying to get a film finished.