In Eveningside (2021-2022), Crewdson explores moments of contemplation within the confines of quotidien life, in places of employment, and in moments just outside of those work structures. The figures populating the pictures are sparse, and are often seen through storefront windows, in mirror reflections, or positioned underneath the mundane proscenium found in the midst of their everyday routines: railroad bridges, doorways, porches, the overhanging roofline of a bank teller drive-thru, a dairy bar, a corner market, or a hardware store. Bringing his vantage point closer to the figures, using a heightened range of light and darkness, special effects such as fog, rain, smoke, and haze, and for the first time using his now ubiquitous full production and lighting team in a monochromatic palette, the result is a rich gothic atmosphere, evocative of film noir and classic cinema, but with the capabilities and clarity of the most current technology available in digital photography.
Edition: 1 of 1
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THE DEPARTURE
EXT. EVENINGSIDE - HILLSIDE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT - TWILIGHT
We are standing at the side of a road at the top of a hill just outside of town. From our vantage point, we can see the rambling road travel downhill away until it disappears around the corner at the base of an imposing wooded hillside, Electrical wires in the foreground crisscross the sky above.
There are houses lining the road here, in a cluster. One has a storefront on its first floor, but the business, whatever it was, has long since closed. The homes have their tiptoes on the sidewalk. A PICKUP TRUCK is parked in a grassy vacant lot across the street, perhaps permanently.
Close to camera, there is a car parked at the curb, faced away. A FATHER sits in the passenger seat, ready to begin a journey. There is a trunk and a couple cardboard boxes packed and affixed to the top of the car, and more suitcases in the backseat, visible through the rear window. A TEENAGE GIRL leans with her back against the car, gazing ahead toward her mother, who is dressed in a nurse's uniform as if she is about to go to work. The mother gazes at the space between them on the sidewalk.
