Literary Ink Review
Literary Ink is a 2020 feature documentary directed by Axel Arzola.
A true celebration into the world and art of tattooing Literary Ink tells an interesting interwoven story of four tattoo artists and the experience of the first ever Literary Ink tattoo convention.
Where this film does the greatest job is finding the truly humanizing elements that bring people into the world of tattoos. Not only why they get these pieces of art on their body, but what creates a genuine passion inside of them. It goes so much deeper than most media about tattooing in that this films cares about each of the lives of the artists that it follows.
With a strong opening sequence, the film draws you in and doesn’t waste any time in setting up each artist that we are going to follow, and the backstory to the Literary Ink convention itself. The pacing is solid and nothing lingers on for too long.
One thing that happens to at least a noticeable degree though is in some interviews there is a bit of jumping. There are some moments where the talking point gets cut off just a few seconds early, leading to a bit of a jarring transition from one sound bite to the next. It is nothing that ruins the experience, but it happens enough that at least personally it caught my attention.
On a further technical inspection, there are many elements of the documentary that shine through. The film contains some nice compositions in the framing. The sound is solid and the music selections really keep the energy going. There is a lot of smart documentary filmmaking on display throughout.
Of course, it is easy to recognize that tattooing stretches far and wide throughout the world, but just to see on display how varied the people involved are in their backgrounds and countries of origin is always really neat. The four artists chosen to highlight here were all great choices, and they all have a significant presence on camera as well.
This is an enjoyable documentary, and a must for anyone who is into tattoos even as a passing onlooker. This is not just a surface level look into this art form, but a beautifully crafted deep dive that genuinely appreciates it on all levels.
To follow on social media: Literary Ink, Axel Arzola, Aniel Fernandez, and Jennifer Edge.
To Stream the film online: Amazon, Itunes, Microsoft, GooglePlay, YouTube.
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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