Kirsten Johnson’s film Cameraperson (2016), was probably my favorite documentary I have seen thus far. When someone else told her this, she joked and said that they probably have not seen a lot of documentaries- but it was in all honesty very moving.
Although there was really no one documentary being told, all of the compiled documentary clips flowed together so nicely, each one complimenting the previous well. There was never a moment where I felt bored or uninterested, something that is often the case with my sidetracking mind. I honestly probably didn’t even blink that much because I was so fascinated with the stories that were being told.
I can remember the exact moment where I started to become very moved by this film; when the health clinic patient and the boy who watched his brother die. After seeing these two clips, I knew that the rest of the film would capture some of the most powerful footage. I admired Kirsten’s technique of filming the health clinic patient’s hands since she could not video her face. Like Kirsten said, all of the emotion is in the hands- even if a person is saying one thing, looking at fidgety hands could mean something different. Even though we as audience members were just watching video of someones hands for minutes straight, the moment never got any less boring.
The moment where we were being shown clips from James Byrd Jr.’s case reminded me of the moment in Grizzly Man when Treadwell was killed. Kirsten strategically chose not to include the pictures of James’ death, just like Herzog chose not to include the audio from Treadwell’s death. Kirsten asked us if it was okay to show other peoples’ death just because we are making a movie, and I would say the answer is no. If she had included the images, the story would have been different (not in a good way) and I agree that she did the right thing.
The scenes of Kirsten’s mother hit home for me because they reminded me of what it was like to be around my grandfather who had Alzheimer’s. It was truly very sad and heartbreaking to watch, and even though Kirsten was smiling with all the interactions with her mother, I know it must have been very difficult to look through old family pictures with her not recognizing who Kirsten’s dad was in relation to her. These were very raw clips of her mother that I could relate to.
Kirsten Johnson’s down to earth personality only added to how highly I thought of the film. I loved how even when her camera was off, she tried to make connections with people and hear their story (when we had Q&A at the end). I highly recommend this film and will be thinking about the impact it has had on me.
I agree with you, Natalie. I thought her personality was very dynamic and her level of curiosity when interacting with someone new is fascinating. I respected how she chose to show the chain over miserable death pictures. The effect of the chain gave me goosebumps and it also reminded me of Grizzly Man. I think it’s important for us to notice the choices documentarians make through their films. It tells us a lot about their ethics, how they view the story, and how the world should see the story.