The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

6.4

Ratings

Add to lists

where to watch

flatrate

rent

buy

Pro reviews

Original title: The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography
Year: 2016
Running time: 76 min.
Country: United States
Director: Errol Morris
Music: Paul Leonard-Morgan
Cinematography: Nathan Swingle
Cast: Documentary, (Self: Elsa Dorfman)
Producer: Fourth Floor Productions, Moxie Pictures (Distributor: Neon)
Genre: Documentary | Photography
Synopsis / Plot: 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 visited her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars, and Harvard notables. As pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfman gives Errol Morris an inside tour of her backyard archive.

Critics' reviews

"This portrait of the artist as an old woman is a gentle-hearted gem, as profoundly subtle as it is subtly profound."

Andrew Barker: Variety
"Errol Morris scores again with a modest, loving doc (...) An affectionate portrait"

Stephen Farber: The Hollywood Reporter
"Her stories are great (...) It would have been nice to hear more of them (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"

Peter Howell: Toronto Star
"A resonant allusion to the torturous subjectivity of art (...) Errol Morris films Dorfman with a rapt attentiveness that maps the nostalgic and regretful stirrings of her soul (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Chuck Bowen: Slant
"A warm and hugely entertaining documentary (...) Dorfman is a force, and spending time with her is an invaluable experience (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

Benjamin Lee: The Guardian
"An affectionate and personal film (...) That the resulting film is as interesting as it turns out to be is largely thanks to Elsa’s unassuming charm as an interviewee."

Wendy Ide: Screendaily
"[A] stealthily engaging bio (...)Dorfman is too much the odd-ball optimist, telling funny anecdotes (...) and tossing off provocative insights into the nature of photography and life (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Kate Taylor: The Globe and Mail

Movie Soulmates' ratings: Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
Friends' ratings: Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.

Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to info@filmaffinity.com

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org