The True Meaning of Pictures

Can a picture honestly be worth a thousand words? Photographer Shelby Lee Adams offers proof positive of that ragged aphorism with his extraordinary portraits of Appalachian families. After 30 years photographing life in this rural corner of America, Adams has created a definitive record of how everyday Eastern Kentucky families live, pray, work, relax, share joys, and face adversity. Ironically, it's a Canadian filmmaker (Jennifer Baichwal, Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles) who brings Adams and the long-ignored Appalachian culture to light in The True Meaning of Pictures, which follows Adams as he photographs three of his most famous subjects: the Childers family, who have maintained a sense of strength and humor despite having three mentally challenged children to raise; the Napier family, who continue to live without indoor plumbing or electricity (a point that seems more bitter today, given the billions being funneled to provide such basic services in Iraq); and the Holiness Pentecostal Church, which has (somehow) combed the Bible and concluded that true faith can only be manifested in the handling of rattlesnakes and the consumption of strychnine. Wisely, however, the film avoids making judgmental calls on its subjects--like Adams' photographs, Baichwal is not afraid to let the often disturbing and tragic subject matter present itself with freedom and honesty. DVD extras include a photo gallery and bios. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)