Today, August 19th is World Photography Day, and to celebrate I have a few movies to recommend watching. They are all movies involving photography or have a strong element of photography. I have suggestions for many genres so there should be something for everyone.
One Hour Photo (2002) – Thriller/Drama
Robin Williams stars at Seymour Parrish, a photo tech in a local store, Save Mart. He regularly develops photos of the Yorkin family. An obsession develops and Sy quickly spirals into deep fixation as his mental state deteriorates.
This one only has a rating of 6.8/10 on IMDB, however, I remember thinking it was really well done at the time. It was one of my first times seeing Robin Williams in a serious role. I highly suggest watching this one.
Polaroid (2019) – Horror/Mystery
Kathryn Prescott stars as Bird Fletcher, who battles a haunted polaroid camera in a race to keep from being killed by the angry spirit within it. Anyone who has their photo taken with this cursed object meets a terrible demise.
This is in the same vein as The Ring, i.e. haunted objects. This movie was based on a short film of the same name by Joey Green and Paul Houston. Watch it below. It is really good!
Despite the 5.1/10 rating on IMDB, I enjoyed the full-length movie as well. It does have the typical and cliche horror movie elements, but I thought for the most part it was a solid movie.
Where the Heart Is (2000) – Comedy/Drama/Romance]
Natalie Portman stars as pregnant 17-year-old Novalee Nation in this dramedy. Novalee and her boyfriend Willie Jack Pickens (Dylan Bruno) are on their way from Tennessee to California when they need to make a stop at Wal-Mart. While inside Willi Jack abandons Novalee and she is left to make a life for herself in Sequoyah, Oklahoma.
While the plot of the movie is more romance and drama-based, there are strong elements of photography in this movie. The movie begins with Novalee taking a polaroid picture before she gets in the car to begin her road trip. Later, Novalee befriends the Wal-Mart photographer and he mentors her in photography. And then she ends up starting a career as a photographer. She even ends up entering a photography contest with a photo she took. Her life centers around photography so I am counting this as a movie about photography.
These are my top three picks. I know there are many many more photography-based movies out there, so I want to hear from you! What are your favorites? Let us know, that way we can celebrate World Photography Day with some new movies!
