Living the Light – Robby Müller (2018)

Directed by: Claire Pijman | 86 minutes | documentary | Starring: Jim Jarmusch, Steve McQueen, Robby Müller, Lars von Trier, Wim Wenders

The intriguing film art of cinematographer Robby Müller (1940-2018), we grew up with it and it influenced our viewing. So much so that we often overlook that it was him behind the camera. Yours truly knows that he loves every film this humble lens god has worked on, but rarely went looking for him. Wasn’t necessary either.

Müller only worked with masters such as Wenders, Jarmusch and Von Trier. This documentary by Claire Pijman, presented at the recent Venice Film Festival, is rather rich in classic shots: from ‘Mystery Train’ and ‘Wrong Move’, for example. You always have the feeling that Müller came up with those shots, but that is not proven anywhere. As in love, proof is not necessary, and everything reflects on the other.

Müller simply disappears into his work. As much as he deserves a lyrical tribute in our eyes, ‘Living the Light’ is not. And that’s a good thing. Pijman is of course a filmmaker himself, and they know that precision in timing and dimensions are the essentials. Then it’s up to the viewer to cheer or cry. The maker disappears, his or her words superfluous.

The poetic title of this documentary refers to the quality of Müller’s work, but also to the fact that work was his life. We say this partly because little is known about his private life. An inconspicuous man when he himself comes into the picture, films from the private archive, that’s it. At the same time, his work was ‘hyperreal’, as setmates argue.

Müller was an intimate colleague acclaimed by colleagues, not a sphinx-like celebrity like Anton Corbijn. Discoverer and friend Wim Wenders refers to the Dutch Masters, and to their shared love for Edward Hopper, which at the same time explains the joint oeuvre of Wenders and Müller. We knew that.

Yet Müller’s death is not the only reason to look back. Memorable is a voicemail message from David Lynch, in which this Müller respectfully cancels. ‘Living the Light’ offers a solid analysis and synopsis of Robby Müller’s work, ‘comprehensive’ as the English would say. A documentary to use as an introduction to film science lectures.