WILLIAM EGGLESTON IN THE REAL WORLD
Directed by & Director of Photography: Michael Almereyda.
Produced by: Michael Almereyda, Jesse Dylan & Anthony Katagas.
Edited by: Susan Choy, Joshua Falcon & Johannes Weuthen.
Music by: Simon Fisher Turner.
Released by: Palm.
Country of Origin: USA. 85 min. Not Rated.
Narrated by Michael Almereyda.

In the introduction, a photographer stands behind his tripod, adjusting his camera with uncalculated precision. The subject of his shoot: A small Chinese restaurant window flashing a neon green sign, "Eat in or take out."

Michael Almereyda has embarked on a curious adventure, closely following the laconic but nevertheless fascinating William Eggleston, who has inadvertently reinvented the art of color photography. The Memphis-based Eggleston, known for capturing the everydayness of life, defends his work from hard-nosed critics, including the renowned Ansel Adams, who once wrote a letter expressing dismay at Eggleston's 1976 MoMA exhibition. "I am at war with the obvious," Eggleston utters softly, in his drawn-out Southern demeanor, inspiring in the viewer sympathy and admiration for the distant artist.

He remains, in fact, aloof, though not altogether inaccessible, regardless of the fact he never outwardly opens up to Almereyda. Despite a few attempts at an intimate interview, the hermit-like photographer remains detached, greeting Almereyda's philosophically complex inquiries with matter-of-fact retorts like, "I never much thought about it."

Clearly Eggleston is a simple man, and is all the more admired by the audience for his down-to-earth and uncalculated demure nature. His remoteness is outweighed by his earthiness, encapsulated in the pristine moments and unfeigned expressions Almereyda has captured. Eggleston, a 65-year-old child gazing at the world with wide-eyed wonder, seems oblivious to his remarkable awareness. With his thick red-rimmed glasses, he has mastered the art of seeing, and re-teaches this sensation to admirers of his artwork. Moments of Eggleston letting his guard down as he listens to or plays music frees the film from the conventional and sometimes tiresome stagnancy inherent in many documentaries. Here, the viewer is kept effortlessly entertained throughout. Parisa Vaziri
August 31, 2005