X
  • 2019
  • Synergetic Distribution
  • 1 h 31 m
  • 2019
  • Synergetic Distribution
  • 1 h 31 m
Instant Dreams

Summary When Polaroid announced the end of instant film in 2008, the last still working factory was bought by a small group of enthusiasts. Among them is the retired scientist Stephen Herchen who previously collaborated with the inventor of Polaroid and is still trying to unravel the secret of the lost chemical formula.

Written By: Willem Baptist

  • 2019
  • Synergetic Distribution
  • 1 h 31 m
  • 2019
  • Synergetic Distribution
  • 1 h 31 m

Instant Dreams

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
46
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.9
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary When Polaroid announced the end of instant film in 2008, the last still working factory was bought by a small group of enthusiasts. Among them is the retired scientist Stephen Herchen who previously collaborated with the inventor of Polaroid and is still trying to unravel the secret of the lost chemical formula.

Written By: Willem Baptist

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
46
50% Positive
3 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 6 Critic Reviews
46
50% Positive
3 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Apr 19, 2019
Instant Dreams makes a strong case for the necessity of instant photography. Its three main subjects are compelling and well spoken. The film’s powerful, hypnotic images, and the mesmerizing score only add to the dream-like atmosphere being conveyed.
By Bobby LePire FULL REVIEW
75
Apr 15, 2019
Instant Dreams is still an argument for the magical in a world that is “losing magic.”
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
63
Apr 17, 2019
While the film offers an appealingly nostalgic trance-out, it’s often short on detail, especially in terms of Stephen Herchen’s struggle to create the instant film technology, which director Willem Baptist reduces to exchanges of jargon in atmospheric laboratories.
By Chuck Bowen FULL REVIEW
40
Apr 25, 2019
As long as he maintains his focus on the notoriously private Land and the painstaking efforts of Impossible Project’s chief technology officer and Polaroid vet Stephen Herchen to recapture lightning in an SX-70, Baptist delivers something reasonably compelling. Unfortunately the bulk of the overly artsy production is preoccupied with the exploits of others.
By Michael Rechtshaffen FULL REVIEW
40
Apr 19, 2019
Any viewers actually interested in the topic would be well advised to search elsewhere for information.
By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW
40
Apr 18, 2019
Baptist’s approach, treating his subjects like characters in a drama, is ultimately frustrating.
By Glenn Kenny FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.9
100% Positive
8 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
7.9
100% Positive
8 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Pieter Van Huystee Film and Television, NTR
Release Date Apr 19, 2019
Duration 1 h 31 m
Genres
Tagline An extraordinary Polaroid trip.
Website https://www.facebook.com/instantdreams.movie
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Awards

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
• 3 Nominations
Millennium Docs Against Gravity
• 2 Nominations
Slamdance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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