PRESSESTIMMEN
A totally new way of seeing, both in terms of the film, which is a visual work of art, and the artworks themselves – I have never seen anything quite like it. (Radio broadcast, in German)
The film is a perfect success. Astonishing and electrifying. (TV broadcast, in German)
It was a revelation for me. (Radio broadcast, in German)
With his moving portrait, Frank Amann has succeeded in questioning the connection between visual aesthetics and optical perception.
Let us start by bringing the accessibility of the intellect into the discussion on blind imagination.
In ‘Shot in the Dark’ the artists become the sighted, while the viewer is forced to recognize that he is often in the dark – without even knowing it.
Frank Amann’s documentary succeeds brilliantly in making the sensual experiences of the blind comprehensible using, of all things, a visual medium.
Sighted people’s powers of imagination fall well below their potential.
A gripping, incredibly powerful visual testimony to the power of human creativity and imagination – and some of the photographers will never get to see their own artworks.
Even if Frank Amann foregoes classical dramaturgy and a melodramatic presentation of the life and work of the three artists at the end of his film, opting instead for a matter-of-fact narration, Shot in the Dark is compelling from start to finish. An equally fascinating and touching portrait of three exceptional artists.