What it’s about
After his first daughter is born, proud Polish factory worker Filip (Stuhr) buys a Super 8 camera to record her early childhood. What begins as an innocent hobby turns into an obsession, however, as Filip begins to photograph every last detail of his home and work environment. Though aggravating to his wife (Zabkowska), Filip’s movie mania soon leads to some unexpected places…
Why we love it
In his breakout film, the great Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski (“Red,” “The Double Life of Veronique”) creates a darkly funny satire of one man's obsession with moviemaking in a totalitarian society. Filip's amateur work attracts the notice of his boss and then a local television network, but questions arise about whether his homemade visions adhere to the official party line. A wry, intelligent inquiry into artistic expression versus censorship and state oppression, as well as the ethical conflicts facing documentary filmmakers, “Camera Buff” casts a gimlet eye on the harried life of the lensman.