Anton Corbijn Inside Out (2012) Reviews

• Photographer

  willydrama2012-05-05

  As I exited the cinema after the screening and the afterparty was getting started, I had to doublecheck who the tall guy next to the bar was - Anton Corbijn is always present without getting noticed, an excellent vantage point in his line of work. In this documentary we catch a glimpse of his split personality: the quiet son of a preacher man has an uncanny knack for breaking the ice with big ego'd celebrities. "Inside Out" strolls further down this path and shows the price you pay for being one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century. Very limited time is spent with his siblings - starting a family seems out of the question for Corbijn as he spends all his time in planes and hotelrooms. The subjects of his photos all speak highly of him as a professional with a strong work ethic and old friends praise his sense of humour. So far things remain pretty bland and the director of Inside Out paints nicely between the lines. Only when his sister is interviewed and Anton himself returns to his hometown, things become more compelling; the antidote for loneliness is clearly hard work. Many questions remain unanswered though and AC's career as a music video director gets skimmed over pretty quickly; this is a shame as this is where the omnipresent theme of religion in his life and work is very obvious. Director Klaartje Quirijns is a real friend of Corbijn, hence he lets his guard down more than often and this is the real strength of this doco. While Corbijn drives to a desolate filmlocation and eats a sandwich all by himself his childhood in a tiny Dutch village echoes through; the more things change the more they stay the same.

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