Watching the watcher

“I photograph everything, it’s almost an addiction,” says Lacombe in this fascinating insight into the fine instincts and eye of a professional beholder. 

Alluding to the mysterious process of creating a portrait, the photographer reveals how she can tell just by looking at a person’s face how their feet are placed; how strongly they’re holding their back, whether or not they are grounded. 

Produced by Somesuch, the monochrome film, Brigitte, is a candid profile of Lacombe's life and career but is also an intimate exchange between two artists – the filmmaker is herself observed, while observing the photographer taking her portrait. It is the 18th commission in Miu Miu’s Womens Tales, a short-film series that invites leading female directors to investigate vanity and femininity in the 21st century.

Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here) is adept at generating a kind of uneasy beauty. Here she opens with a tantalising 25 seconds of black screen, over which we hear a recording of the director and photographer’s pre-shoot interview. Perfectly composed black and white images then appear to the strains of a slightly spooky, ethereal soundtrack. 

“I hate having my photo taken. Brigitte was the first person who captured me,” admits Ramsay. “She cast a magic spell. I wondered, ‘how did she do that?’”