Ron Howard's Avedon Documentary Criticized as Conventional and Safe

Ron Howard's documentary "Avedon" premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but critics argue it fails to capture the complexity of photographer Richard Avedon. The film relies on talking heads and behind-the-scenes anecdotes rather than exploring Avedon's artistic process or his understanding of image culture. Avedon described photography as "the marriage of imagination and the reality of a situation" and predicted a future without photographers, only machines. The documentary avoids controversial topics, such as questions about Avedon's sexuality, likely due to the involvement of the Richard Avedon Foundation. Howard's previous documentaries on Luciano Pavarotti, the Beatles, and Jim Henson share a similar disinterest in artistic process. The film includes interviews with Isabella Rossellini and artist Yolanda Cuomo, but misses opportunities to delve into Avedon's influences, such as Fred Astaire and the cultural feedback loop between cinema and photography. The documentary is playing at Cannes through May 23.