Documentary: The Way I See It

You know that famous picture of the much missed President of the United States, Barack Obama, bending over so a little boy can touch his hair? Well, it was White House Chief Photographer and Archivist Pete Souza who took it and so many other memorable and defining moments of the Obama Presidency. Which is at the heart of this doc, The Way I See It (Focus Features) directed and produced by Dawn Porter, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2020.

Photographer Pete Souza spent most of his career behind the camera as a freelancer for several different news outlets, but much to his surprise he was recommended to be President Ronald Reagan’s Official White House Photographer. Souza at the time, wasn’t a political person. If pressed he probably would have said he wasn’t onboard with a right leaning administration, but this was back when most of us didn’t feel the strains of division so heighten in the last four years. Souza set about doing his job which is to be like a fly on the wall, as unobtrusive as possible while capturing the mood, emotions, context of both the monumental and tiny moments in the life of a President.  Yet in doing so, he struck up deep, trusted, warm relationships with both Ronald and Nancy and Obama and Michelle.

Some of the photo highlights of President Obama include time spent playing in the snow with his daughters and coaching Sasha’s basketball game; to squatting down next to a General in the War Room during the taking down of Osama bin Laden; to reaching out to the son’s of his right hand advisor on Obamacare when she had to be away from her children, putting in 60-80 hour work weeks. You also see the genuine care he gives the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Just so many photos that show the humanity instilled in our 44^th President.

And then darkness falls upon the land in 2016 and Souza goes back to being a normal citizen. Until one day he posts an Instagram picture of the new gaudy Trump chosen drapes in the Oval Office with a simple caption of “Don’t you think the old drapes where better?” or something to this effect, and it goes viral. Next thing you know, Souza’s Instagram has thousand and thousands of followers eager to love photos which throw shade on Trump, by posting a photo of Obama in beautiful, upstanding contrast to Trump’s latest divisive tweet or asinine, racist decision making.  

Of course, anytime something takes off with the popular masses a book must ensue: The bestselling 2018 photo-book, Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents. Officially changing Pete Souza’s status from being a non-political person to a photo-activist!

It is obvious Pete’s enjoying his celebrity status, but it’s also obvious that he feels a great sense of concern and mourning for what we have lost in the last four years. Gone are the senses of dignity and compassion his former bosses had. They took the office seriously and attempted to do right by the American people. Souza talks about what he sees as the negative impact of a sitting president not caring to maintain the decorum that is a necessity for the job.

T& T @largeassmovieblogs rating: 3.5 outta 5

As of this post #TheWayISeeIt is in select Theaters. 

Watch the television premiere Friday, October 16th 10pm ET on MSNBC