The highest compliment I can pay to “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters” is that it allows the viewer an excellent chance to watch an artist at work. That endorsement sounds a bit hollow until you understand the complexity of Mr. Crewdson’s work.
Crewdson is ostensibly a photographer, taking pictures of what might be generically called “urban loneliness.” He is constantly showing people alone in hotel rooms, sitting on street corners, and trudging through the snow. The catch is that these are not just “life as it happens” snapshots. Crewdson stages his photographs in the same way a filmmaker makes a movie. He creates sets, hires a director of photography, and puts special attention into casting.
The documentary screening at the 2012 Santa Fe Film Festival artfully catches the viewer up on Crewdson’s development. He started off wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a psychiatrist. Crewdson recalls how his father’s at-home therapy practice inspired the sense of “secrets” in his work. He would attempt (unsuccessfully) to listen in to the sessions, knowing it was supposed to be confidential.
His attention wavered (because of a girl) towards photography. Crewdson’s ambitions were ultimately complex, as he was focused on capturing the exact immediacy of “the moment.” This lead him to begin staging scenes to create a heightened reality. I would describe this as real life with a little something extra. The most memorable of early photos (for me) is of a woman literally floating through her living room.
For David Lynch Fans: Crewdson talks about the influence of Blue Velvet on his desire to “look underneath the surface of suburban life.”
I mentioned the real joy is in watching Crewdson work. “Brief Encounters” follows him as he develops his most complex series of photos called “Beneath the Roses.” He builds an entire sound stage, finds a multitude of “real life” locations, and admits having an enormous amount of anxiety over the whole thing.
That is when “Brief Encounters” clicks for me most as a viewer. You can analyze an artist’s work to death. The aftermath of the work is only half the story. What happens during the actual process? Crewdson handles himself like a genuine auteur. He has a well defined vision complete with detailed thoughts about every aspect of his production. Which curtains should be used? How should the lighting bounce precisely off the wall?
You can simplify matters by saying: “That is what explains the quality of his work.” I would go a step further than that and use the word: “Alchemy.” There is a strange sort of magic in the way that Crewdson’s ideas come together. I can see why he chooses to let the pictures speak for themselves.
I recommend “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters” to anyone who is genuinely interested in watching the artistic process unfold. Crewdson makes no distinction between film, photography, and psychological insight. The audience for this film should be just as wide ranging.
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“Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters” will be screening on Friday, December 7 at 6:45pm at the Center for Contemporary Arts.
More information and complete program and schedule, please visit the Santa Fe Film Festival website. To purchase tickets, visit TicketsSantaFe.org.
