Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Obscura
TITLE DETAILS

Obscura

2018-10-24 · 32 min · Not rated

Documentary

While working with wet plate collodion Ruhter came up with an idea to show the world the beauty of these objects in a size that was deemed impossible. This led him and the Silver & Light Team to a forgotten town on the edge of the Salton Sea called Bombay Beach, located in California’s Imperial Valley. The idea was to create a camera out of an abandoned house. The structure would serve as the framework for the camera. Instead of focusing on the decay from the outside, this house camera allowed a view from the inside into someone’s dream. Once the giant lens was placed on the front of the house, images of Ted, a 100 year old resident who recently found himself homeless, were projected in, breathing new life into this abandoned structure and once again making it a home. During this brief moment in time when Ted’s photograph was captured, he was present in both places. In reality, he was homeless in the outside world.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Lauren Vance
Production companies
Silver & Light Films
Countries
United States of America
Status
Released

Top Cast

Gary OldmanGary OldmanSpecial guest
Ian RuhterWet Plate Artist
Will EichelbergerWet Plate Technician
Ross WhitakerWet Plate Team
Kevin MuellerWet Plate Team
Damien CravicWet Plate Team
Emory MarshallWet Plate Team

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

Nothing Like a Dame
★ 6.8
Nothing Like a Dame2018Documentary

BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.

Finding Vivian Maier
★ 7.6
Finding Vivian Maier2014Documentary

Vivian Maier's photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she'd collected throughout her life. Instead these images have shaken the world of street photography and irrevocably changed the life of the man who brought them to the public eye. This film brings to life the interesting turns and travails of the improbable saga of John Maloof's discovery of Vivian Maier, unravelling this mysterious tale through her documentary films, photographs, odd collections and personal accounts from the people that knew her. What started as a blog to show her work quickly became a viral sensation in the photography world. Photos destined for the trash heap now line gallery exhibitions, a forthcoming book and this documentary film.

Nude
★ 9.2
Nude2017Documentary

NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.

42 Up
★ 7.6
42 Up1999Documentary

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Val
★ 7.2
Val2021Documentary

For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood's most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors, has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
★ 6.2
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story2025Documentary

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

28 Up
★ 7.5
28 Up1985Documentary

Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
★ 7.2
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed2022Documentary

The life of internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20
★ 7.2
Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/202022Documentary

An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.

Music by John Williams
★ 8.0
Music by John Williams2024Documentary

His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
★ 7.8
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty2000Documentary

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Maria by Callas
★ 7.4
Maria by Callas2017Documentary

Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.

The Walking Dead: The Return
★ 7.4
The Walking Dead: The Return2024Documentary

Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.

Koyaanisqatsi
★ 7.9
Koyaanisqatsi1983Documentary

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
★ 8.4
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)2026Documentary

Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.

You Can See Everything
★ 8.9
You Can See Everything2026Documentary

Thirty-four days before she's sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss.

Chronos
★ 7.5
Chronos1985Documentary

Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
★ 7.1
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead2018Documentary

As his life comes to its end, famous Hollywood director Orson Welles puts it all on the line at the chance for renewed success with the film The Other Side of the Wind.

Love, Antosha
★ 7.4
Love, Antosha2019Documentary

From a prolific career in film and television, Anton Yelchin left an indelible legacy as an actor. Through his journals and other writings, his photography, the original music he wrote, and interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues, this film looks not just at Anton's impressive career, but at a broader portrait of the man.

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger
★ 6.9
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger2026Documentary

Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.

Similar titles

Retratação
Not rated
Retratação2019Documentary

Fernando Lemos, a Portuguese surrealist artist, fled from dictatorship to Brazil in 1952 searching for something better. The movie follows the last moments of his journey and the struggle for the preservation of his legacy, trying to fulfill his last great desire: to be a good dead man.

Our Vanishing Americana: A South Carolina Portrait
Not rated
Our Vanishing Americana: A South Carolina Portrait2022Documentary

Photographer Mike Lassiter journeys across South Carolina capturing the stories of historic, often family-run businesses that line main streets from the coast to the upstate.

The Work of Director Anton Corbijn
★ 7.8
The Work of Director Anton Corbijn2005Documentary

Legendary photographer and director Anton Corbijn is responsible for many of the most indelible and important images of the past two and a half decades. His recently released book U2 & I is a photographic retrospective of his 25 year collaboration with U2. Later this year, Anton will direct his first feature film, Control, based on the life of the late Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis.

Lost Flowers
Not rated
Lost Flowers2021Documentary

March 2020. Fabrizio, a photographer and filmmaker who lives in Luxembourg, returns to his family in central Italy after his father has suffered a heart attack. It’s the beginning of the pandemic, the country is in lockdown. An intimate diary and an ode to filial love in the face of the most trying circumstances a son can face. A tale of the soul and personal hardship in the context of a broader collective tragedy.

Frans Lanting: The Evolution of LIFE
Not rated
Frans Lanting: The Evolution of LIFE2015Documentary

A dazzling journey through time via the remarkable images of National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting and his epic "LIFE" project, which presents a stunning interpretation of life on Earth, from the Big Bang through the present.

Eye Photography
Not rated
Eye Photography2024Documentary

"Eye Photography" was born in 2022. on June 28, out of curiosity and admiration - both the uniqueness of our irises and the technology to capture them. This is a documentary film about the journey of Martas and Kamile in creating the first project of this genre in Lithuania. This story is full of surprises, excitement, doubt, courage, inspiration and adventure.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Shoot YourselfDocumentary

Four Faces of the Moon
★ 8.0
Four Faces of the Moon2016Documentary

Follow the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. The oral and written history of her family reveals the story — we witness the impact and legacy of the railways, the slaughter of the buffalo and colonial land policies.

Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum
★ 7.7
Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum2017Documentary

The film tells the story of the intimate and unprecedented encounter between the photojournalists of the Magnum Agency and the world of cinema. The confrontation of two seemingly opposite worlds – fiction and reality. For 70 years their paths crossed: a family of photographers, amongst them the biggest names in photography, and a family of actors and filmmakers who helped write the history of cinema, from John Huston to Marilyn Monroe to Orson Welles, Kate Winslet and Sean Penn.

The Keepers of the Streak
Not rated
The Keepers of the Streak2015Documentary

The NFL has staged 48 Super Bowls. Four photographers have taken pictures at every one of them. In KEEPERS OF THE STREAK, director Neil Leifer tells the story of this exclusive club, made up of John Biever, Walter Iooss, Mickey Palmer and Tony Tomsic. With their cameras, they have captured football's biggest game of the year for almost five decades.

Poster unavailable
★ 8.0
Objectif femmesDocumentary

Benek Blues
★ 6.5
Benek Blues2000Documentary

The action is placed in a cramped flat in Warsaw’s district of Ochota. A father and a son, both bedridden, live in a fascinating symbiosis. The son, a well‑known photographer Bernard ben Dobrowolski, is lying in bed because a chronic condition has deformed his body and immobilized him. The father, Dominik, has recently suffered from a stroke. Now they are taking care of each other and crowds of visitors move through their room.

Standard Operating Procedure
★ 6.8
Standard Operating Procedure2008Documentary

Investigating the infamous Abu Ghraib scandal, Errol Morris interviews American guards and Iraqi prisoners who were at the military jail before images of prisoner torture emerged in 2004. One female guard, who posed alongside fallen Iraqis in notorious images, tells Morris that her crimes were inspired by her love for another soldier, and another explains why she took photographs of her fellow troops. In the process, Morris suggests that the scandal resulted from systemic flaws in the military.

Lee Miller: A Crazy Way of Seeing
Not rated
Lee Miller: A Crazy Way of Seeing2001Documentary

Documentary charting the fascinating life and work of Lee Miller, a model for Vogue in 1920s New York who became the only female photojournalist to cover the Second World War. Having given up photography in later life and virtually disowned her own work, Miller's extraordinary archive of 40,000 negatives was only rediscovered after her death. George Melly, David Hare, friends, colleagues and her only son, Tony Penrose, trace the story of her unconventional life through her own remarkable pictures and photographs, as well as rarely seen archive footage.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Territories2007Documentary

Larry Towell is the only Canadian member of the legendary Magnum Photo agency, known for its humanist and universal approach. Towell belongs to this tradition. This documentary reveals the artist and the man through his photography and his thoughts.

Quatro em Linha
Not rated
Quatro em Linha2025Documentary

The World is Out of Focus
Not rated
The World is Out of FocusDocumentary

Seize the day, seize the hour and meet four female photographers, who may have a lot of experience under their belt, but who also continue to be courageous and curious at a level where everyone can (and should!) be inspired. The World is Out of Focus introduces us to four Danish, female photographers Else Tholstrup, Nanna Bisp Büchert, Marianne Engberg and Tove Kurtzweil – all brimming with a zest for life, a creative urge, and an anecdote or five!

Expuesta
★ 2.0
Expuesta2022Documentary

Expuesta brings to light the extraordinary photographic archive of Andy Cherniavsky, one of the most renowned and prestigious photographers in Argentina and Latin America. Andy carved out a unique place for herself as a photographer in a world that was dominated by men, as was the case in Argentine rock for decades.

And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine
★ 7.5
And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine2023Documentary

From the first camera to 45 billion cameras worldwide today, the visual sociologist filmmakers widen their lens to expose both humanity's unique obsession with the camera's image and the social consequences that lay ahead.

The First Photo of Mine Ever Taken
★ 5.0
The First Photo of Mine Ever Taken1972Documentary

A one-frame long experimental short film from Yugoslavia.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.