Cameraperson
Janus Films | Release Date: September 9, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
89
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)John SemleyDec 15, 2016
Film, not film, whatever it is, Cameraperson plays like a study not only of cinema itself, but a warm, welcome reminder that there is (ideally) an intelligence, and maybe even a bit of grace, behind the moving images that wedge themselves in our memory; that they are the handiwork of a living, thinking, feeling, sneezing human being, someone who is both camera and person. Read full review
100
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeOct 13, 2016
Personal footage interacts intriguingly with reportage here, sometimes making it more than the greatest-hits montage it initially seems. Read full review
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 13, 2016
In a mesmerizing series of images, encounters and delicate juxtapositions, Cameraperson testifies to a world in which it would be clear to see that we’re all connected, if only we took the time to look at one another with reverence and simply listen. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangSep 22, 2016
In ways both subtle and overt, the movie continually draws our attention to the human consciousness guiding every shot, the hand that is gently yet unmistakably manipulating the image. Read full review
100
The New York TimesA.O. ScottSep 8, 2016
Cameraperson isn’t a work of journalism or advocacy. It’s a scrapbook, a found poem assembled out of scraps and snippets of truth. And it is, above all, an act of showing rather than telling. Read full review
100
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzSep 8, 2016
The collage film Cameraperson is one of the most original, challenging, sometimes infuriating documentaries of recent times. Read full review
100
Village VoiceBilge EbiriSep 6, 2016
All this could have easily become a cacophony of disconnected sights and sounds, but Cameraperson unfolds with beauty and purpose — mixing the fluidity of a dream with the acuity of an essay. Johnson teases out themes and finds echoes across the years. Read full review
100
The PlaylistKatie WalshAug 28, 2016
Humanity permeates Cameraperson, thanks to Johnson’s presence, so as experimental as it is, it’s also stirring and poignant, with a tangible sense of empathy intact in every frame. Read full review
100
Screen DailyAllan HunterAug 28, 2016
Cameraperson is about process and aesthetics, images and rules but it is also about empathy and ethical dilemmas. Read full review
83
The Film StageDaniel SchindelAug 28, 2016
The connective tissue between the different shots is sometimes thin, and some images are of course far less interesting than the others. But those hiccups can’t degrade the unique, involving effect of the documentary as a whole. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeJan 23, 2017
Cameraperson’ is a thoughtful examination of the role of the documentary-maker, showing us how it feels to be that person behind the camera. Read full review
80
CineVueBen NicholsonJan 6, 2017
Johnson is pushing the audience to see these images as a dialogue between herself and these subjects, both in the frame of her representation of them and their impact on her. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 6, 2017
It’s a uniquely affecting experience, and a uniquely affecting film. Cameraperson shows us the power of image as a tool of recording life, but also finds reasons that even in the worst situations, it’s still worth living. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanAug 28, 2016
To make the movie work, the audience needs to put in a little effort, but a philosophy of connectedness is present. Read full review
80
VarietyNick SchagerAug 28, 2016
Without narration or a conventional storyline, it’s a uniquely insightful memoir-cum-critical-treatise. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSep 29, 2016
What results isn’t a straight autobiography, obviously, but rather the autobiography of a career and, most importantly, the autobiography of a spirit. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 9, 2016
The linkages between these mostly brief snippets is somewhat haphazard, but, given the waywardness of her travels, that’s appropriate. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloSep 7, 2016
As an autobiography told in pictures rather than words (including occasional glimpses of Johnson’s parents and her children), Cameraperson makes a strong case for the merits of the observational life. As a bonus, it also demonstrates what it looks like when the person who’s holding the camera sneezes. Read full review
75
ConsequenceRandall ColburnAug 28, 2016
Johnson, being a primary voice behind some of this century’s most important documentaries, is a particularly qualified candidate to chronicle life in this way, and her greatest feat, one I can’t imagine anyone else achieving, is her ability to tell the story of her life without ever once talking about herself. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineSam C. MacAug 28, 2016
Cameraperson is certainly a collection of memorable images, but it's more so Johnson's facility with narrative, on a micro and macro level, that impresses. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 15, 2016
The film shifts back and forth in time. It works like memory that way, but the memories are Johnson’s, not the viewer’s, which makes the absence of some discernible organizing principle a real drawback. Read full review
More From This Movie

89 Critic Reviews

7.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL