Watch Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank

Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank is a biographical documentary film about the life and work of the legendary photographer and filmmaker, Robert Frank. Directed by Gerald Fox, the movie follows Frank as he embarks on a personal journey to revisit the places and people that have influenced his prolific and celebrated career.

The documentary opens with Frank's childhood in Switzerland and his early years in New York City, where he began his career as a photographer in the 1940s. Through archival footage and interviews with Frank's family and friends, the movie explores how his personal experiences and artistic vision shaped his groundbreaking and influential work. Frank's black and white photographs, especially those in his book, "The Americans," which he published in 1959, have been hailed as a seminal work in American photography.

Leaving Home, Coming Home examines the themes of Frank's work, particularly his obsession with capturing the unvarnished truth of the human condition. Frank's candid and intimate portraits of everyday people, juxtaposed against images of an America that was divided by racial tension and social upheaval, were a snapshot of a nation in transition. The documentary shows how Frank's work not only documented a crucial moment in American history, but also influenced and inspired generations of photographers and filmmakers to come.

The film also delves into the personal relationships that have defined Frank's life, including his marriage to artist June Leaf and his close bond with his children. The documentary shows how these relationships have influenced his work and how they continue to shape his life today. Through interviews with Leaf and Frank's daughter, Andrea, the movie reveals the private side of one of the most celebrated artists of our time.

Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank also explores Frank's later years, documenting his travels to Scotland and Nova Scotia, where he reflects on his life's work and the legacy he hopes to leave behind. The movie captures Frank as he revisits locations that were the inspiration for some of his most iconic photographs, including the ranch where he took his famous shot of a rodeo cowboy in 1955.

Throughout the documentary, Frank's voice is heard, discussing his life and work in his own candid and thoughtful way. The film also features interviews with other artists and photographers who have been influenced by Frank's work, including Patti Smith, William Eggleston, and Ed Ruscha.

Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank is a moving and insightful look at the life and work of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. The movie is a must-see for anyone interested in photography, filmmaking, and American culture.

Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank is a 2019 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8 and a MetaScore of 75.