Barbara 1981

Directed by Luk Gubbels

Shot on 16mm film in the cinema-vérité style without a script, Barbara (1981) is a rare Flemish documentary profiling Barbara Henke, a Swedish fashion model living in Brussels. The camera closely follows her daily routine for several weeks, moving beyond the superficiality of the fashion industry to offer an intimate, philosophical portrait. Through long, sustained shots and atmospheric nighttime imagery, Henke speaks candidly about her career, fears, expectations, and personal views, transforming the film into a raw, unmanipulated observation of her true self.