Camera

Nothing questionable here, no nudity or any foul language, just a wonderful story of a young boy (Miguel Gabriel) who is Oscar who has an "eye" for photography. He is mute from a hospital accident at birth but other than that he can communicate quite well especially with his eyes. It takes a great talent to portray emotion with just your eyes and no sounds and he does it like it was truly how he is in real life. He must deal with new surroundings in this picturesque fishing village with a plethora of unique characters all around him for his "canvas" . He must deal with some bullies, and one bad uncle who is also a drug dealer. After a close call with the bullies, Oscar hides in an old fix it shop run by Beau Bridges and soon the magic begins as Bridges teaches the young boy all about photography and how to develop it and enlarge it. What happens next is truly amazing as this young mute causes the whole town to understand themselves in a new and unique way as well as bring everyone together after the town suffers a financial loss. Get some tissue and be prepared for a wonderful family story for everyone especially kids and those who love photography. Enjoy!'

I just watched Camera. I'm a photographer, almost an old fart, so I worked and still work a lot with film.

It's one of the greatest movies I ever watched. It's not just a beautiful movie with great actors, direction and plot, but also photography, the philosophy behind it and the meaning of it are perfectly described.

Jay Silverman made a gem and I'm glad I found it.

As a photographer fighting everyday to make people understand a photograph is much more than a phone snapshot I want to say a big thank you to Silverman for making this movie and communicating in such a beautiful way what photography really is. He made my life easier!

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.

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.

In this well-crafted film by Jay Silverman, a young mute boy, (Oscar), is mentored in the fine art of capturing a good photograph by an older Vietnam veteran played by Beau Bridges. After much practice and a multitude of mistakes, young Oscar begins to see the true soul of his small seaside town through a new lens. No pun intended!

Jay's casting has the feel of a European film, where minor as well as lead roles appear as average people we see in our daily lives. Enough already, of Hollywood films where the men look like Tom Cruise and the women like Julia Roberts, and they live in impossibly expensive homes for their character's economic station.

I highly recommend this heartwarming film with a soul-searching ending.