Finding Vivian Maier (2014)

I had never heard of Vivian Maier. Neither had many of those in attendance at a local library showing this compelling documentary. We have John Maloof, a film maker, to thank for exposing (if you will excuse the pun) this extraordinary collection of photos taken by Ms. Maier. The collection consisted of over 100,000 photos purchased at auction by Mr. Maloof. Even if you have no interest in photography this is worth seeing for the photos which portray peoples of Chicago and New York. It is also the story of this enigmatic lady who, after her death, earned the reputation as one of this Country's most accomplished street photographers.

I was prepared to dislike this documentary of a dead photographer, but the photographs were so great that they drew me in. Then I cared about who she was. Clearly she was a very eccentric person, and possibly mentally ill, but there is no denying the power of her art. She may be the greatest photographic artist of the 20th century. For mainstream museums, such as New York's MOMA, to ignore her is baffling. They show the works of such ordinary talents as Cindy Sherman, while ignoring someone with true human insight, such as Vivian Maier. This reinforces to me the idea that the mainstream art scene is mostly political, and has little to do with actual merit. I have only the highest admiration for the photographs of Vivian Maier that I have seen on this documentary.

An unknown street photographer pops onto the scene posthumously, changing the landscape of the art form, Finding Vivian Maier is that story. Finding Vivan Maier is a documentary about the reclusive and mysterious woman who devoted her life to taking photography, and yet, never let any of it be seen. Written and directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, Finding Vivan Maier tells of John Maloof's journey to discover this odd woman's life and to ensure her legacy is remembered. The documentary is sure to be a hit amongst avid photographers and lovers of photography as an art form. In that regard it is quite compelling, especially due to enigmatic nature of its subject, Vivian Maier. However, due to its limited scope it does not have an overreaching ability to captivate mass audiences that would otherwise show little interest in the material. Finding Vivian Maier is significantly aided in its successfulness by the bizarre personality of this prolific but, until now, unrecognized artist. As the documentary progresses, we follow along with John Maloof as he utilizes various means to unearth this woman's background and nature, a feat made increasingly difficult by her reclusive and private character. Of course, an artist being secretive is not unusual, but being the first to explore it still yields a fascinating and intriguing documentary. We do so through the now grown children she nannied for and a very limited circle of friends. Omitted from the documentary are interviews with those members of the art world that still fail to acknowledge Vivian Maier as a distinguishable photographer, and it certainly is a missed opportunity. As certain individuals within the documentary state, perhaps the mystery of her is more interesting than the work itself. But this obscured and even troubled woman left an unusual trail of breadcrumbs in the forms of unpublished photo negatives as evidence for us, and the producers of the film Finding Vivian Maier, to construct an understanding of this riveting individual. Ultimately, it is nice that the documentary can be another vehicle to get her work out there to garner further appreciation and recognition from the industry.

An intriguing, well-constructed documentary that I highly recommended for every artist and indeed for all who appreciate a great image. Maier is only beginning to be recognized as one of America's premiere street photographers. Her compelling body of work, never seen during her lifetime, was discovered posthumously and by accident. This film attempts to piece together her mysterious story.Vivian's lens turned ordinary Chicago street scenes into iconic expressions of human dignity. The effect is powerful and moving. Her work might have been lost to the world, and is sadly again in peril because of a lawsuit concerning ownership of the copyright to her negatives. What a tragedy it will be if her photographs are again locked away from the public. PLEASE look at her work! It takes my breath away.