Self(less) Portrait

Self(less)-Portrait (2012)
Runtime:45 minutes
Director:Matej Bobrik
Country:Poland
Genre:Documentary
Writer:
Plot:
Documentary filmmaker Matej Bobrik turns the camera on himself at a time of change in his life, defined by his relationship to two women: his grandmother, with whom he talks only on the telephone ever since the recent death of his mother, and his new Japanese wife, whom he married in part to help her deal with the Polish authorities. Tellingly, Bobrik records only moments of transition, but not their causes or consequences.

Table of Contents

Self_(less)_Portrait This semi-experimental documentary features intimate confessional interviews with 50 unique individuals. Sitting in front of a blank white screen, these people talk about everything from relationships, the search for identity, family violence, depression, suicide, sexuality, mental illness, aliens, religion and death.  These interviews are accompanied by a subtle synthesized score and the occasion inclusion of experimental visuals. Probably the biggest issue with is the film’s length.  With a 98 minute running time, the film is way too long for what it is and it quickly became a chore to sit through.  While the various confessional interviews are interesting to listen to, there came a point when I was just waiting for the film to end.  It didn’t really help that the film often featured cutaway shots, which resulted in false expectations that the film was wrapping up, only for another interview to start.  Self(less) Portrait would have been much more enjoyable if it was presented as a short film, which ended after 10-20 minutes. Of the 50 or so individuals featured in the film, only two or three left a lasting impression.  These individuals included a tattooed guy with a mohawk and a another who seemed to be a professional wrester.  There was also someone, who showed up towards the end of the film and started talking about aliens, which was a change from the usual life and death discussions featured in the film.  Overall, while Self(less) Portrait started off interesting, it seemingly did not know when to end, resulting in a very hard to sit through viewing experience.6 | WATCHABLE

This post was proofread by Grammarly 
Advertisement
Hollywood Suite

Prime Video Channels is the Prime benefit that lets you add channels you love with no long-term commitments. Only members can subscribe to Hollywood Suite on Prime Video. Cancel anytime.

Streaming Info for Self(less) Portrait

Leave a Tip

Become a patron at Patreon!

Subscribe to the Review Round-Up Newsletter

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top

Thanks for Reading

Support This Site

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

Other Ways to Support Us

Become a patron at Patreon!
Buy Me A Coffee