A man and a camera

synopsis

This minimalistic documentary is based on simple, unsignalized confrontations of people with the camera lens. The director sets off with his hand-held camera across the Netherlands with the intention of exposing his compatriots to recording equipment with no explanation whatsoever. The resulting work can be interpreted as a sociological experiment, but it could be read as a further illustration of the effect observed in documentary film: people confronted with the camera stop behaving naturally and tend to strike poses. Most of all, it stands out as a brilliant example of work with “creative limitations”, formerly seen in the collaboration of Lars von Trier with Jørgen Leth.


"For me, it’s important to enquire about human nature but also the medium of film itself. I was curious about how people would behave and respond when you radically throw over all conventions of film and social behaviour." (Guido Hendrikx)

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