This blog post explores how Vivian Maier’s mysterious films were discovered and brought to light, and how her hidden artistic world was revealed in the process.
Synopsis of ‘Finding Vivian Maier’
Who was the genius photographer ‘Vivian Maier’, who left behind photographs never shown to anyone? ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ is a documentary film about the French-born street photographer Vivian Maier. It traces the journey from director John Maloof’s chance purchase of a box containing undeveloped rolls of Meyer’s film at an auction for $380 in 2007, while researching a history book, through the process of developing, printing, and disseminating the images. It traces the life of the mysterious figure Vivian Meyer, who never publicly shared her photographs until her death in 2009.
The only information John Maloof had about the film was the name of the photographer, ‘Vivian Maier,’ provided by the auction house. He searched online but found no information. He then scanned some of the film and uploaded it to his SNS (Flickr). Countless netizens, who took photos in the same square frame format as Vivian Maier and posted them on SNS (Instagram), reacted enthusiastically to her photos. Alan Sekula, a renowned photographer and critic, advised John Maloof not to sell the photos yet and to first learn more about the artist. The more John Maloof became captivated by Vivian Maier’s photos, the more he wanted to know who she was. He decided to make a documentary film chronicling his journey to find the person behind these remarkable images.
The director developed and printed her photos one by one, sorting through her belongings piece by piece to uncover clues. Through these clues, he discovered she had spent her life as a nanny, caring for children in wealthy households, using them as subjects for her photographs. He also learned she was a collector of ‘facts,’ obsessively hoarding newspapers. The director sought out people who knew her or had been in contact with her, conducting numerous interviews and weaving together stories heard from people around the world. He met with about 100 people who had contact with Meyer, all of whom remembered her unique style and secretive nature. She always wore a large coat and a felt hat, stood over 180cm tall, wore men’s shirts, and always carried a camera around her neck. According to those who knew her, Vivian Maier concealed her real name, introducing herself as ‘Vive,’ ‘Miss Smith,‘ or ‘Vivian,’ and even told some she was a ‘spy.’ Through these varied recollections, the book paints a portrait of a solitary artist shrouded in mystery.
While opinions varied about her origins, Vivian Maier was born in New York in 1926, and it was revealed she used a deliberately affected accent. She intensely disliked her private life being exposed and remained a veiled figure even to neighbors she’d known for decades.
Though Vivian Maier lived her life in extreme seclusion, after her death, her work sparked a global exhibition craze and drew intense media spotlight. Those who knew her say she would never have wanted the world’s attention on her photographs during her lifetime. Midway through the film, the director reflects on tracing Maier’s life, admitting the process of revealing her to the world felt “a little uncomfortable and guilt-ridden. “Because it means revealing the work of someone who didn’t want to be seen.”
Yet the director believes discovering an artist can be profoundly important, and the film enters a new phase. A letter expressing her thoughts on her photographs was found in her hometown. She had left her film at the photo lab along with a letter stating, “I would appreciate it if you could let me know what you think.” This letter reveals her desire to share her work with others, becoming a crucial clue confirming the documentary’s valuable discovery and observation. The director states, “Vivian knew she was a good photographer, and she knew these photos were good. She wanted to show them to people. Though it didn’t happen in her lifetime, we are doing that now,” calling it a magical thing.
Furthermore, the director firmly states his opinion regarding the established art world’s continued failure to recognize her work. Citing the examples of Garry Winogrand and Eugene Atget, he strongly asserts his belief in art: “Good work is good work, and truly great art is recognized.”
The latter part of the film explores Vivian Maier’s inner world and her human aspects. We hear from the children she once cared for, now grown adults, about the dark side of her humanity that wasn’t visible in her photographs: her loathing for men who spoke of human folly, and her cruelty in abusing those very children. Through these stories, the director defines his own meaning to the question, “What kind of person was Meyer?” and concludes the film.
Analysis of the Work from a Documentary Perspective
‘Finding Vivian Maier’ captivatingly captures the process of uncovering the mystery photographer ‘Vivian Maier’ – who left behind 150,000 unidentified film negatives while hiding her name and profession – like a detective story. The journey to find Vivian Maier, who left behind these hidden gems of photography never shown to anyone, offers enjoyment that transcends the typical biographical documentary genre. Co-director Charlie Siskel, who directed ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ alongside John Maloof, leveraged his background in documentary and TV drama comedy to render the search for Vivian Maier even more dramatic. He expressed his affection, stating, “Vivian is an incredible character. She’s like a character straight out of a novel, but she’s real. And above all, she was a true artist.” He expressed his affection for her. Completed through the persistent spirit of inquiry and loving efforts of directors John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ garnered worldwide attention when it was ultimately nominated for the 2015 British and American Academy Awards.
John Maloof stated, “I wanted the audience to follow the process of uncovering Vivian Maier’s identity.” As the veil lifted on her during filming, he said more questions arose: “Why did she hide her photographs and personal life from others? Who was she really?” As John Maloof’s efforts unfolded, these gem-like photographs, nearly buried in obscurity, spread through New York, Chicago, and Europe. Alongside the process of bringing Meyer’s photos to the world, John Maloof traces her life to uncover the secret of her aesthetic vision, which pierces the depths of objects and people.
This work clearly adopts a participatory documentary format, as the director himself boldly states his thoughts and intentions on camera and acts accordingly. The director, who sought out Meyer’s film, appears as the protagonist of the film. Starting with how he discovered her film, his presence continues throughout the film until its conclusion. Particularly, while tracing Meyer’s life and bringing her work out into the world, the director shares the difficulties he faced during the documentary production: “It felt a bit uncomfortable and guilt-ridden. Revealing the work of someone who didn’t want to be seen.” This dilemma is partially resolved through Meyer’s letters, and the director’s words reveal how valuable this discovery truly was. Furthermore, the director’s over ten minutes of candid criticism directed at the established art world for failing to recognize her work allows the viewer to directly feel the obsession and determination of both directors, making one truly appreciate the strengths of an immersive participatory documentary. Of course, participatory documentaries carry the drawback of heavy directorial authority and intervention. However, precisely because this director discovered the artist Vivian Maier, this approach felt particularly effective.
While watching ‘Finding Vivian Maier,’ you’ll be astonished not only by her sharp yet humor-filled perspective on people, objects, and society, but also deeply impressed by Vivian Maier’s fiery passion for her dream of ‘photography’ – a dream she pursued relentlessly, refusing to be defeated by her circumstances. Vivian Maier was deeply interested in society’s underlying issues—race, politics, privilege—and captured them through her lens with clear conviction and without prejudice. The images she captured of New York streets, people, and the city’s unique culture in the 1950s and 60s are like a time capsule, perfectly preserving the moments of life from that era. Vivian Maier, who never stopped taking photographs; she who chose the profession of ‘nanny’ which afforded her a degree of freedom; she who traveled the world alone with only her camera—she was a woman who wrote her own story freely, unbound by constraints, living her life fully. Vivian Maier once said, “I don’t think anything is permanent. You have to make room for others, like when you get on a bus. You have to move to the end of the seat so someone else can come and sit.” Her life, lived without concern for others’ gazes and without ever abandoning what she loved, left a deeper impression than any film, despite being a documentary. Finally, it seemed the meeting of the documentary’s fundamental recording of facts and the photograph capturing a moment made this documentary even more valuable.
