Educational Media Reviews Online

What does it mean to “see”? Director Rodney Evans explores this question in Vision Portraits as he comes to terms with his own loss of vision and what it means to be a visually impaired artist. Through interviews, poetry and collages of vintage footage, Evans creates a compelling personal narrative that speaks to the fear of vision loss but also the possibilities of learning to “see” in a different way.

The film focuses on several artists, including Evans himself, as they very frankly discuss the impact loss of vision has had on their artistic practice. Photographer John Dugdale, writer Ryan Knighton, and dancer Kayla Hamilton share the methods they have developed to work with their vision loss and also how they choose to communicate their experiences through their work. Dugdale, who lost his vision after a seizure, demonstrates an exercise he uses with his studio assistants during which he asks them to close their eyes as he says random words, so they get a sense of what it is like to visualize without seeing. Hamilton asks her audience to wear beautifully decorated eye patches during her performance to give them a sense of how she sees the world. Throughout the film Evans uses his own poetry and visual collage-work to give the viewer a sense of how he is experiencing the process of vision loss. The idea that loss of vision is limiting yet also freeing is juxtaposed with very real fear of being seen as “less than” by peers or the world at large.

With a runtime of 1 hour and 18 minutes the film would work well for the classroom and could be used in multiple disciplines as it touches on a variety of topics including disability, queerness, Blackness, and the AIDS crisis. The artistic integrity of the film would also make it of interest to documentary film studies courses. This film is highly recommended for most academic library collections and other library collections with a focus on the topics mentioned. It should also be noted that the film includes audio description as well as captioning.

Awards:
Frameline San Francisco LGBTQ FF - Winner Outstanding Documentary 2019; Outfest Los Angeles, Winner, Artistic Achievement Award 2019; Tampa Bay Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Winner, Best Feature Documentary 2019

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