This is a marvelous film, an excellent docu-drama but slightly flawed. In documentary fashion, we follow the photography assignment of renowned photographer David Bellemere. To the unitiated, he indulges in the male gaze, engages in personal relationships with his models in order to get the perfect shot, his own unique vision to put on canvas while navigating the business side of commercial photography.
Which in his case is to tell his bosses to shove off.
I can respect that. I can also respect the way he works. Because from an artistic viewpoint, it isn't the male gaze at all. It's all about the way he sculpts the human body like a statue to fill the space and convey an emotion, to create an impact that the model communicates to the viewer.
There is nothing prurient in this photographs; they are sensual with a hint of sexuality coupled with a bit of innocence, given the young ages of his models.
That being said. This film gets more interesting when we see the conflict between artist and business managers. Artists vs. Models, and I would have loved to see even more of that.
Bellemere's style can be seen as objectifying and toxic in today's climate. There may be some truth to that. Sometimes I would scream, "You need a contortionist! Not a print model!"
But when it's all laid out for the talent to do her poses, we understand they had some inkling of what they were getting into.
Another flaw is the lack of diversity of the models chosen, but that is the nature of the beast. There is one curvy model but she was hardly a "plus-size" in mundane terms. There were poses that busty, "Playboy" type models would never be able to pull off, so I get it.
Is Bellemere's art beautiful? Yes. Is it impersonal? Also, yes.
Does it also show the world a realistic side of nude photography that isn't connected to adult entertainment? Absolutely. But I did wish there was more of this discussion from the model's POV.
Which in his case is to tell his bosses to shove off.
I can respect that. I can also respect the way he works. Because from an artistic viewpoint, it isn't the male gaze at all. It's all about the way he sculpts the human body like a statue to fill the space and convey an emotion, to create an impact that the model communicates to the viewer.
There is nothing prurient in this photographs; they are sensual with a hint of sexuality coupled with a bit of innocence, given the young ages of his models.
That being said. This film gets more interesting when we see the conflict between artist and business managers. Artists vs. Models, and I would have loved to see even more of that.
Bellemere's style can be seen as objectifying and toxic in today's climate. There may be some truth to that. Sometimes I would scream, "You need a contortionist! Not a print model!"
But when it's all laid out for the talent to do her poses, we understand they had some inkling of what they were getting into.
Another flaw is the lack of diversity of the models chosen, but that is the nature of the beast. There is one curvy model but she was hardly a "plus-size" in mundane terms. There were poses that busty, "Playboy" type models would never be able to pull off, so I get it.
Is Bellemere's art beautiful? Yes. Is it impersonal? Also, yes.
Does it also show the world a realistic side of nude photography that isn't connected to adult entertainment? Absolutely. But I did wish there was more of this discussion from the model's POV.