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67% Critic Match
Instant Dreams
“An extraordinary Polaroid trip.”
6.7 / 10• 2017• 1h 31m•NR• English
Documentary
Storyline
There could hardly be a more telling contrast between the analog and digital eras than the beautifully blurry memories captured in a Polaroid picture and the thousands of pin-sharp photos on an iPhone. In this ambitious visual essay, Willem Baptist explores the visionary genius of Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. Even today, all sorts of people are keeping his instant dream alive. Former Polaroid employee Stephen Herchen moved from the United States to Europe to work in a laboratory developing the 2.0 version of Polaroid. Christopher Bonanos, the author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid, tells us, "When I heard Polaroid would stop making film, it felt like a close friend had died." Artist Stefanie Schneider, who is working with the last of her stock of Polaroid film, is using the blurring that occurs with expired film as an additional aesthetic layer in her photographic work.
Cast & Crew
SH
Stephen Herchen
Self - The Scientist
LeadSS
Stefanie Schneider
Self - The Artist
CB
Christopher Bonanos
Self - The Writer
Caitlin Fowler
Self - The Model
Udo Kier
The Docter (Cameo)
EH
Edwin H. Land
Self - The Visionary (archive footage)
AJ
Ayana J.J.
Self - The Future
AR
Angela Riccio
Self - The Model
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Willem Baptist's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. Instant Dreams is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
