Fleeting Reality

Directed by Richard Van Kleeck, the documentary feature ‘Fleeting Reality’ shines the limelight on the nationally renowned multiple Pulitzer Prize winning photographers of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Consisting of interviews and never before seen photographs, ‘Fleeting Reality’ goes inside the minds of these photographers as they face racism, UFOs and everything in between. 

‘Fleeting Reality’ encompasses some very interesting perspectives and it presents these perspectives from people who are behind the camera and thus mostly invisible to the public. The hour long documentary is jam packed with both first hand interviews and never before seen photographs from the 70s and the 80s, iconic time periods in American history. Like going into a time machine and turning up forty years into the past, the documentary does a fantastic job at capturing the cultural zeitgeist during that time, coupling this with diving into the very people responsible for recording these moments and bringing them to the masses.

Despite dealing with a subject matter that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Richard Van Kleeck deserves applause for ensuring the hour long documentary whizzes by. The pacing is perfect and the content is spot on. There is so much fascinating history to unpack here and it is presented in a manner that feels both fresh and organic. Each interviewee has a fantastic story to tell and the fact that all of these outlandish stories are 100 percent authentic is what makes the entire matter even more fascinating. At just over 60 minutes of runtime, ‘Fleeting Reality’ presents an interesting world without getting boring in the slightest. Van Kleeck’s direction is faultless here as he carves out a documentary that celebrates photographers whilst apprising the audiences of the dangers these people face while documenting history. There is a certain melancholia here, one that both celebrates our limited time here on Earth as well as how well photographs are able to immortalise moments of sadness, joy and everyday life. The film not only celebrates the timeless power of a photograph, it apprises the audience of its power to convey emotions. This is something that should be both appreciated and celebrated.

Rarely does a film come along that celebrates the photographers themselves. A fascinating documentary that will both impress and inspire, ‘Fleeting Reality’ is one such film that successfully puts the spotlight on people who are mostly invisible to the masses. Entertaining, informative and poignant all rolled into one, this is a film that will find its fans in all demographics. Richard Van Kleeck has made a fantastic documentary, one that works on multiple levels and impresses in a multitude of ways.