Maybe due to Anton Corbijn modesty and paradoxically introvert character, while working so successfully as a photographer portraying so many famous artists, a very social job, this documentary left me very hungry for answers : how did he decide to become a photographer, did he attend an art school, how did he meet the guys from Joy Division, U2, Depeche Mode, Tom Waits, and many more ? How did he build trust with the musicians ? Did he move to London or did he manage to start off his career from the Netherlands ? Did he have a mentor or an agent who helped him develop his professional network and business ? How did he make the transition from the still to the moving image and direct his first music videos ? How does one describe his style ? In my opinion, most of these questions remain unanswered. The greatest scenes are the moments when we see Anton Corbijn at work, shooting portraits of musicians or review them with them. And still I was surprised how little the photographer speaks or directs his models, at least in the sequences composing this documentary. The exhibition opening shots are rather boring. It is interesting to have some information about his childhood, family background and have included words by his sister. The documentary's cinematography is not quite excellent and the pace of the editing is very slow. As a fan of his works, I watched the whole film, but after only 15-20 minutes, I started getting bored. The main feeling emanating from the documentary is the immense solitude of the dedicated artist, a man without children, having maybe his musical friends as his main family, while traveling the world for his work. I am disappointed because I wanted to watch a much more complete and lively biographical film about the talented dutch photographer. An artist him/herself is rarely the best person to speak about one's own works.
Review of Anton Corbijn Inside Out
