The Portrait Studio

The silent short tracks the woman returning to the hillside studio as a rebellious schoolgirl, a mature wartime bride, and eventually an elderly widow carrying her newborn grandchild. Throughout every tragic and joyful chapter of the twentieth century, including post-war reconstruction, the photographer documents her dignified countenance. Only in their final portrait session, when the woman holds her grandchild before the elderly photographer's lens, does she finally break into a radiant, warm smile. The photographer snaps the photograph, achieving his life's artistic fulfillment just before the studio peacefully closes.