X
  • 2017
  • R
  • Neon
  • 1 h 16 m
  • 2017
  • R
  • Neon
  • 1 h 16 m

Summary Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman found her medium in 1980: the larger-than-life Polaroid Land 20x24 camera. For the next thirty-five years she captured the "surfaces" of those who visit her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars, and Harvard notables. As pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfma...

Directed By: Errol Morris

  • 2017
  • R
  • Neon
  • 1 h 16 m
  • 2017
  • R
  • Neon
  • 1 h 16 m

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman found her medium in 1980: the larger-than-life Polaroid Land 20x24 camera. For the next thirty-five years she captured the "surfaces" of those who visit her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars, and Harvard notables. As pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfma...

Directed By: Errol Morris

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

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

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Jun 29, 2017
This is the rare Morris movie that feels led by the personality of its star figure, in this case Dorfman’s wry positivity and love of what she does, rather than his need to probe.
By Robert Abele FULL REVIEW
80
Jun 29, 2017
Ms. Dorfman emerges as an artist of deep compassion, empathy, humor and wisdom.
By Glenn Kenny FULL REVIEW
80
May 31, 2017
Dorfman declares that she was never a media or critics’ darling. “I was at the bottom of the list,” she says when talking about her position in the ranks of modern photography. This film will convince you that she definitely deserves a higher position in the pantheon.
By Stephen Farber FULL REVIEW
80
Apr 21, 2017
It’s an endlessly charming film focused on a woman whose view of life is one to be envied.
By Benjamin Lee FULL REVIEW
75
Jun 30, 2017
If you're interested in that period, the sheer number of notable photos shown here is reason enough to see the movie.
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
75
May 30, 2017
Errol Morris films Dorfman and her work with a rapt attentiveness that maps the nostalgic and regretful stirrings of her soul.
By Chuck Bowen FULL REVIEW
50
Jul 13, 2017
If one wishes to get a glimpse into Elsa Dorfman’s life and work, this is not a poor place to do it. But as a documentary standing on its own two feet, it stumbles.
By Mike Mazzanti FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Fourth Floor Productions, Moxie Pictures
Release Date Jun 30, 2017
Duration 1 h 16 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline The camera is magic. September 2, 2015
View All Details

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