Teenage Paparazzo (2010)

Directed by: Adrian Grenier | 90 minutes | documentary

In 1960 the film ‘La Dolce Vita’ by Federico Fellini was released. In addition to a Golden Palm, the film also resulted in a term that is frequently used in entertainment land today: ‘Paparazzo’. It is the name of the pushy press photographer in this Italian production to which contemporary gossip photography owes its nickname, often contemptuously corrupted into ‘Paparazzi’. Now, decades later, the name of the famous press photographer from ‘La Dolce Vita’ denotes a vibrant business in which there is an ongoing love-hate relationship between celebrities and gossip journalists. In the documentary ‘Teenage Paparazzo’, Adrien Grenier (himself known for the American hit series “Entourage”) follows a very special paparazzo. It is thirteen-year-old Austin Visschedyk who in his spare time earns a generous amount of pocket money by capturing celebrities on the sensitive plate.

Grenier soon uncovers a fascinating and sensational world where not everything is as it seems. The superficial world of gossip photography often hides skittish, but hard-working people who cleverly respond to the eager consumer demand. Burdened by their bad image, photographers talk about their profession. With an objective sample of adversarial journalism, Grenier manages to negate some black-and-white prejudices, go in-depth and still allow the thrill of the profession to trickle through with real-life action scenes. A big addition to this are the interviews with ‘victims’ such as Paris Hilton, Matt Damon and Lindsay Lohan. In a sober, very self-reflective way, Grenier portrays the stories from both sides and also reasons from the psychological needs of the general public.

‘Teenage Paparazzo’ goes beyond an ordinary documentary about gossip photographers. It describes the development of a young boy who is in danger of losing his soul in an adult delusional world. Grenier approaches this world with an open mind, exposes himself and manages to discover the motivations of this young paparazzo through personal conversations and perhaps even protect him from himself. ‘Teenage Paparazzo’ can rightly be called a psychological action documentary. Born out of genuine interest, this documentary tells the human side of a sometimes inhumane business. With the appropriate song ‘Paparazzi’ it is ultimately Lady Gaga who has the last word.