Through His Eyes: 'Arthur Tress: Water's Edge' | Green Film Festival of San Francisco 2024
Follow photographer Arthur Tress as he seeks to capture the hidden stories all around us.
Dear Moviegoers,
The first impressions of photographer Arthur Tress, as seen in his self-titled documentary with the subtitle Water’s Edge, describe a man of almost too-loose imagination. His camera eye works in all spaces and dimensions surrounding us, which also means that his mind works in the same way. But is he scatter-brained? Is he manic? Not at all. This is a peek at a man of immense whimsy and lots of positive energy—the kind that might give an audience a secondary high. And that’s great.
We follow Tress as he, before and during the COVID-19 lockdowns, captures fictional moments that he quickly sees, kindly asks for, and carefully directs, throughout the San Francisco area. He routinely takes a ferry around, walks everywhere, and observes everything. For him, there’s truth that can be molded out of constructed scenes, such as adding props in the foreground of an abandoned building that’s in the background, or condensation and stains on glass. These images, often framed in a diamond shape, represent beautiful stories from each corner of a given frame. While Tress walks from antique markets to closed schools, he talks about history and the overall human experience, how all things have a life, and how all things can and do speak to each other and to everyone.
A man in his 80s, Tress has seen an awful lot and has studied more. But it’s not so much his own life that’s of interest to Water’s Edge, but rather how he sees the world, how he spends his hours, and how he commands a given shot - no matter the concerning effort. Props fall out of place, he climbs up hills and on tables and goes flat on his back just to get at the heart of something that he knows is there. Water’s Edge keeps a friendly perspective on Tress, never once faltering to make him a deity or hero. He’s a sage for sure, and a storyteller foremost. His sense of self is full of humor and visions are well-articulated. There’s a method without any madness here.
A complete surprise and a welcome character of a film, Water’s Edge finds its one-of-a-kind muse and just lets him be. No interference, no disruptions. In this way, Arthur Tress almost acts as a mentor to the filmmaker, breaking from being a subject to becoming a co-director in his own right. And it is his right. And totally right.
Tress has a whimsical angle, but he deals with showcasing the honesty of reality through the filter of dreaming. And Water’s Edge keeps its real distance to create a reel world. His world. Our world. 4/5
Arthur Tress: Water’s Edge screens theatrically at the 2024 Green Film Festival of San Francisco, and is available until October 27th on the fest’s virtual portal.