Finding Vivian Maier

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Jonathan K So, John Maloof made this documentary about Vivian Maier, but honestly, it feels less like a tribute to her brilliant photography and more like a deep dive into the life of a woman who’s no longer around to defend her privacy. A privacy or mysteriousness she was very keen on maintaining during her life. Maloof says he's bringing her work to the world, which he does, but the film spends a lot of time turning her quirks into something freakish. All while Maloof kinda makes the whole thing about him. He can’t help but position himself as the “savior” of her work, and the self-congratulatory energy is not a good look. But here’s the thing: despite all the weirdness and sensationalism, Maier’s photos? They're stunning. They show real, messy humanity in the most beautiful way, and that’s what you walk away with. The rest of it is kind of like, who cares? We may never know her real or complete history, and it doesn't really have any bearing on her art. What matters is we get to see the world through her lens, and that’s a gift. Three stars because we got to see it. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/25 Full Review Georgan G 3 & 1/4 stars. This odd photographer is likely be the victim of child physical & sexual abuse. Her mental illness grows over time & she leaves behind a massive body of work that is beautiful. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/16/23 Full Review Audience Member 2019-5-19 Very complicated. At the beginning I thought she was a warm, kids loving, and quiet person. And then for some reason which was not revealed about her inner life in the movie that she got sick, even started to abuse children. Her works were amazing. People was a difficult object for photographing. I think most of us hoard things sometimes, but you just need to get rid of something when you feel stressed. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member An unimaginable story of the previously unknown photographer, which is though told with a bit too much suspense not bringing the main questions to direct answers, leaving some kind of mystery about Mayer's life and intentions. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the absolute best documentaries of all time through amateur historian John Maloof's fully committed historical investigation on a mysterious person who possessed a hidden artfully gifted gem accompanied by a surrounded personally declining mystery that soon led to a honorably posthumous legacy, and the film's brilliant craftsmanship and stunning presentation boosts the story further. (A) (Full review TBD) Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member LOVED IT. This film was fascinating. I wish we knew more about the life of Vivian Maier, but this film may be the closest we get. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Finding Vivian Maier

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