Helmut Newton. Piękno i bestia

The questioning of Newton's method is very cautious in this documentary, also because primarily the "victims of his camera" speak. Nevertheless, thanks to decent dramaturgy and a good choice of talking heads, there is certain space to take a polemical position. Gero von Boehm admires what Newton embodies, but that doesn't mean that this documentary amounts to just blind adoration. In fact, it does not force anyone to like the main actor and allows him to be perceived as a stubborn child who battles with machismo and subversion. The result is not necessarily sympathy, but definitely a passion for a person who did not consider himself an artist, yet with his photos he significantly inscribed himself in the pop-cultural memory of the 20th century. (18.08.2020)