Finding Vivian Maier

In the great tradition of Steven M. Martin’s Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994) and Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching for Sugar Man (2011) comes John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier, another compelling investigative documentary about an obscure artist and the mysterious reasons why we know so little about them.  The first third of the film focuses far too much on Maloof and his repetitive exposition about how he came to discover the work of Maier, an unknown street photographer. He discusses at length his multi-year quest to uncover the story behind the pictures and to get them seen and appreciated by the art world. But eventually his face and voice falls away, and the enigmatic Maier becomes the film’s central character. Gradually an impression comes into focus as we examine her work, which includes dozens of self-portraits, and hear facts and speculation through candid interviews with many who knew her. Maloof presents a wealth of material from the over 100,000 still photos and rolls of 16mm and 8mm film Maier shot but never showed anyone. I do wish the filmmakers lingered a little longer on these images, some of which are arresting and brilliantly composed. As photographer Mary Ellen Mark says in one interview, Maier combines elements of Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz, and other great photographers, yet she possesses a signature style all her own. The film tells an engrossing detective story and character study all while uncovering a major 20th century talent. Vivian Maier herself, though, remains as fascinatingly inscrutable by the end of this picture as she is in the beginning.