Self Portrait

The technology in surveillance has increased exponentially over time…. but just how much? Utilizing that power of camera footage, Director Jöele Walinga’s documentary Self-Portrait tells a compelling story of many tales…or should I say camera angles? Through this footage two things become abundantly clear: there is so much in this world that we are unaware of and we are watched more than we could ever understand. 

From footage provided through surveillance cameras all over, viewers are given an in-depth look of the world from the likeliest and unlikeliest of places. From snowstorms in the middle of nowhere to a foggy harbor, animals asleep in their cages at the zoo to a church service in progress, each piece of footage used tells a story and leaves no stone or frame unturned. Cameras are virtually everywhere, whether we know it or not…and the footage speaks for itself. 

Walinga manages to answer that one question that tends to niggle and fester in the back of most of our minds: are we ever truly alone? From her work on film God Straightens Legs, Jöele Walinga delves into the meaning behind life. While God Straightens Legs is more focused on her mother’s journey with cancer, Self-Portrait seems to take that self-reflection of life on a larger scale.  

The abundance of footage that was brought together and the increase in surveillance over the past few years suggests that we are recorded and viewed by one another in record numbers. But not all the footage suggests a bleak outlook. We see the ferocity and beauty of nature at its finest. From the howling winds to the slow roll of waves crashing into the beach, the hustle of the city to clouds rolling past—Walinga shows us that there is much to be said about appreciating the scenery around us and not letting a single moment be taken for granted or pass us by.  

Yet with that beauty, Self-Portrait also delves into the ways that what we tend to perceive is not always accurate. And, as we all know, the camera never lies. There will be storms in paradise. Watching the cars zoom past on a busy highway can have a calming effect from a different angle. We are left curious as we watch people on screen engaging in the most mundane or strangest of activities, always wanting to understand the purpose of each move. Even in the vast ugliness of paved parking lots and abandoned buildings, there is always something to admire and appreciate.  

What really gets me the most though is no matter how much we think we know about the world around us, there are always new things out there to surprise us. The vastness of the world is endless and through Self-Portrait that much is clear: we only know a fraction of what goes on in the world around us. Whether we are aware or not, there is so much more going on around us and at the same time…we are not as isolated or alone as we perceive ourselves to be.