Digital photography, with its sharper edges, higher definition, and instant gratification, dramatically changed the way we capture and consume the imagery in front of us. But these “perfect” shots we see on our phones—in a world more distorted than ever—may be doing us all a great disservice. Millennials worldwide, whose childhoods were slowly overrun by all-things-digital and looming screen time addictions, are driving the return to film photography and the need for a slowdown. Film photographers praise the analog process of the good ol’ days for its deliberate, intentional, and creative techniques. While shooting, the focus remains on what they see through their lens instead of the camera’s display screen. Hours spent in the darkroom, meticulously laboring by hand over each detail of their prints, allows room for more personal creativity. Now, with more people craving real over flawless, the documentary GRAIN captures how shooting analog brings passionate photographers joy as artists and how the uniqueness of film may be here to stay. —A.B.
