TIME ZERO: THE LAST YEAR OF POLAROID FILM

As you can discern from the title, this is a documentary fueled by nostalgia—for good and for ill. TIME ZERO begins promisingly: alongside a brief but informative history of the product and its enigmatic creator, Edwin Land, we meet a few but fervently dedicated photographers for whom Polaroid is their canvas of choice. They all make a convincing case for its usage (two of them even have entire walls of Polaroids on display in their homes), lovingly fetishizing the otherness of its neatly compact cameras and the charge one gets from a small snapshot developing right before your eyes.

Naturally, all are dismayed (to varying degrees) when Polaroid ceases production of instant film in 2008. At this point, unfortunately, the film shifts from affably golden-hued wistfulness towards sentimental wallowing.  Rather than spending time fully considering the pros and cons of digital film (the dominant format most responsible for instant film’s decrease in popularity), with the exception of a sound bite or two, TIME ZERO focuses more on what is lost, and it nearly lost me with a lengthy, rambling scene centered on a Polaroid devotee in tears over the product’s demise.

The final third shifts focus again to a collective headed by an entrepreneurial Austrian that attempts to recreate instant film, a challenge since many of the materials Polaroid originally used to make it are no longer available. This process should feel inspiring and uplifting. Instead, it drags and seems laborious, which runs counter to everything Polaroid and instant film represents.  At the very least, TIME ZERO stirred a newfound desire within me to obtain a Polaroid camera, but it really could’ve worked better as a half hour short. Grade: C+