Harry Gruyaert – Photographer (2018)

Directed by: Gerrit Messiaen | 70 minutes | documentary

A frequently heard observation about top athletes is that to be successful, they often (have to) be real egoists. Apparently the same can be said about top artists, or more specifically in this case, top photographers, because the subject of the documentary ‘Harry Gruyaert – Photographer’ is not exactly the epitome of empathy, but rather sympathy. And this seems to be exactly the point the film wants to make.

‘Harry Gruyaert – Photographer’ tells the life story of the famous Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert. How he comes from a strict Catholic family and how color photography became his salvation. At least that is the premise of the film, according to the makers. But terms like “rescue” and “escape” are heavy terms that implicitly carry a sort of urgency. Yet this urgency is not convincing. Gruyaert indeed, almost obsessively, wants to do nothing but take pictures, but it is not credible that this helped him out of an almost untenable situation. And that puts another bomb under the rest of the story. It seems as if they are looking for a nice frame within which Gruyaert’s story gains more meaning, while his skills in itself could be enough material for a nice documentary. Because taking beautiful pictures: the Belgian can do that.

The documentary therefore has two faces. When it comes to the artist Gruyaert, the film is believable and fascinating. What makes the photos so good is well explained and also contributes to the appreciation of the photographer’s work. But when it comes to the person Gruyaert, it gets a bit artificial. Why can’t he just be Gruyaert the top photographer?

What does grace the makers is that in the search for a frame they do not fall into the trap of forced sympathy. They don’t do their best to make Harry Gruyaert an amiable figure. In fact, the film starts with a scene in which he is photographing in a tram. When a passenger asks Gruyaert what he is doing, he gets “Shut up, I’m working” thrown at his head. In short, the tone has been set. And the film also ends on a similar note, with Gruyaert saying that when he takes pictures he never thinks about the audience, but only about what he finds beautiful himself.

‘Harry Gruyaert – Photographer’ is therefore a film with an aftertaste. On the one hand, it makes sense that to be good, you also have to be an egoist. On the other hand, the explanation of why he is as he is contrived and sought after.