The Woodmans

I just had the pleasure of watching the most incredible documentary. It is called The Woodmans and it is avent garde in the texture and beauty in the filming. The summary is as followed from Netflix: “The intimate documentary profiles the Wodmans, a family dedicated to the making of art in all forms, and their reaction to the suicide of their most famous member, daughter Francesca, whose startling, sexual photographs established her legacy.”

The filmmaker draws you into this incredibly artistic family through glimpses of the pieces that each member creates. Their lives seem perfect, the children are exposed to art pretty much at birth and their playground were art museums in Italy. As a result, there is a great appreciation in art and a need to create. Unfortunately, what seems to come with this great ability is a deep sadness.

The film documents the entire family, but focuses on Francesca’s photography, which is well before its time in technique. This is not a film to show in a classroom of minors as there is nudity in the form of art. It is however a great for students studying film because many of the techniques used in film are also used in art and photography. But not only does it have artistic value, it also touches on loss and how one reflects on that loss in addition to how one becomes a person who survives losing someone you love. 

Trailer http://youtu.be/qu9LSFFnn54

 Photography by Francesca Woodman