64
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottAt times, Mr. Harris’s voice-over narration veers into academic abstraction or lyrical emotionalism in ways that undercut the eloquence of the images, but over all he is a wise and passionate guide to an inexhaustibly fascinating subject.
- 80Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiLos Angeles TimesMartin TsaiSome of the black photographers' works here are breathtaking — and may prompt you to hunt down Willis' book for the coffee table. But there's so much more to take away from Harris' documentary.
- 75RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comIn telling this story and exploring its meanings, Harris’ well-crafted film uses interviews with a number of historians and black photographers. But its greatest asset is the trove of photographs it marshals.
- 75Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerThe implicit question overhanging the film: Is the political impetus to present only “positive” imagery of black people an injustice to the fullest range of their experience?
- 63Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardThomas Allen Harris's documentary consistently takes agency away from the art itself with a litany of talking heads.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThe survey the film provides is bracing, and there are plenty of talking heads to guide us through the kaleidoscope of imagery. Unfortunately, there’s also a public-television vibe to the proceedings that mutes the overall power. It’s essential info presented with little imagination.
- 60The DissolveAndrew LapinThe DissolveAndrew LapinDirector Thomas Allen Harris, who has a background in transmedia art, has made an earnest, though often sloppy, documentary on the essential role imagery plays in shaping the narrative of a people.
- 60VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThough a tad uneven, as a whole the documentary cannily juggles an overview of African-American history in general with the specifics of its photographic representation and talents.
- 50Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonWould that Harris had simply let the images and their historical context speak for themselves. His narration is simplistic and narcissistic... and the textual ideas he and his interviewees present about the intersection between race and imagery are hardly fresh.
- 50New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeThe photographs on view are dazzling; the way they are shown here is somewhat less so.