Camera

This smaller movie, filmed in a California coastal community stars Beau Bridges who also was the producer. The cast also includes his 30-yr-old son. Just interesting facts, nothing more.

There are several things going on in this story but the main one is a hotel corporation evaluating the community for a new resort. That is in conflict with what many (or most?) want, a new cannery for this fishing community.

A new family moves into the area, a woman who works at the local restaurant/bar and her 9-yr-old, non-verbal son named Oscar. He was born premature, had some needed surgery which damaged his vocal cords, but he is very bright and catches on to new things quickly.

The boy has an old Mamiya C220 TLR camera that was handed down from his deceased dad, who had gotten it from his dad. The camera wasn't working, needed some cleaning and repairs, but the boy often carried it around his neck. He seemed interested in photography but under the circumstances made drawings instead in his notebook.

A chance meeting with Eric (Beau Bridges), the local fix-it man, who also was an avid photographer, changed everything. Eric had an identical camera, loaned it to Oscar, gave him some instruction, taught him the art of B&W film developing and printing in his darkroom.

A number of things transpire from that start, Eric becomes the friend Oscar needed, someone who appreciated him for who he was. And, Oscar's photography ended up uniting the community after much turmoil.

Good movie, my wife and I watched it at home, streaming on Prime. After our usual Saturday evening steak and wine dinner. With chocolate cake for dessert, of course.

Camera is the story of a young boy Oscar (Miguel Gabriel), who is unable to speak, as he struggles to adapt to the small fishing town he has just moved to with his widowed, and hard-working mom, Evelyn (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Brought together by a broken format film camera, an unlikely friendship is formed between Oscar and a kind old repair shop owner, Eric (Beau Bridges). With the local fishing industry in decline, the town is fiercely divided whether to stake their future on building a luxury hotel, bringing in new jobs, or fight to keep the way things have been done for generations. With Eric's guidance and mentorship, Oscar captures the goodness in people, and in doing so heals a wounded community.

While it's never going to win any oscars, Camera is a very watchable and heartwarming film which has many messages depending o which one you want it to deliver. For me, it's that still images can capture a moment frozen in time, that no-one else might ever see had the picture not been taken. That's not an earth shattering insight or an arcane observation of life, it's just an off the cuff comment. I guess you could also say that you never know where your next friend is coming from, and you can't always trust those closest to you. It's also hard to believe that Beau Bridges has made hundreds of films going right back to 1948, and is still knocking them out. A very watchable film I gave it a 6.

Browsing through the 10/10 reviews makes me feel like a bit of a curmudgeon regarding this film. But, truth be told 1hour 15 minutes in and having tried to like it, there is really nothing to expect from the remaining 30 odd minutes.

Nice scenery sure enough, and it attempts to have heart, with a number of characters with their own trials and tribulations, and pf course a young mute kid, but its all a bit clunky, script wise and acting wise. Some of the premises that the plot is hung off, are too contrived, not convincing, like a cheap novel. Beau Bridges and the young mother were the acting high points, and to be fair most of the lesser parts were well acted, but a handful were just plain clunky performances.

Over all its a Hallmark level production/script, fine for a lazy afternoon watch.

Many people criticized the film for being too sentimental, probably resenting the fact that it made them tear up, but it's not the kind of sad that you usually see in films. Instead it's a bit bittersweet, with an underlying solution for that sadness.

The story is about a little mute child in a poor fisherman village where everybody is struggling, is frustrated and sad. His mother is sad, his uncle is sad and he has no friends until he befriends an old man who fixes his old camera, the only thing he has left from his dead father. The lesson here being that even when life gives you lemons, you can see their beauty when you photograph them in black and white.

OK, I am a bit mean, but the movie is pretty beautiful. Beau Bridges piles on the gravitas of his voice and the nice old man vibe, the kid is actually a pretty good actor - and you know how rare that is, while the supporting characters all show moments of deepness without taking too much screen time. The ending is a bit weak, with some over the top farewell scenes with actors that don't really land them, but the rest of the film does convey that idea that you can find beauty in the most banal and sad moments.

Bottom line: not a masterpiece, but a good dramatic film.

This movie is about a mute 9-year-old boy named Oscar. After moving to a fishing town with his widowed mother, he gets bullied by other children and struggles to fit in. He finds peace in his camera which belonged to his late dad and forms a bond with the owner of a local repair shop, Eric Conway played by Beau Bridges. Eric shares with Oscar photography tips and spends time with him unlike anyone else, including his mother. The movie also tackles the modernisation debate brought up by one of the locals. Locals were divided between keep doing what they did for generations or build a luxury hotel to bring in tourists, create new jobs and boost the economy.

The movie was nice to watch. Miguel Gabriel who played Oscar did not convince me much with his performance however this seems to be his first movie for the big screen, so he is excused😊 I enjoyed more the performance of supporting actors Beau Bridges and Jessica Parker Kennedy (Oscar's mum). Cinematography and music were fine, and the ending was very emotional. Oscar manages to speak through his photography and in the process unite the divided locals.