A few days ago I posted a link to a story at Messy Nessy Chic about photographer Vivian Maier, whose work remained hidden until after her death. This is the teaser for the documentary about her that is coming soon.
The movie doesn’t have a release date; it’s not even finished yet, according to the filmmakers’ Facebook page. But it may be the movie I’m most excited to see right now. When I first read that Messy Nessy Chic piece, I could not stop looking at Maier’s photos. Now that I see this trailer, I’m even more hugely intrigued by this woman and why she was so secretive, and why her work remained hidden. I suspect the film may have a lot to say — if only inadvertently — about how women’s voices are muffled in our culture. If she were a man, she would have been working for Life magazine. Instead, she worked as a nanny and never even showed anyone what she was doing with her art.
Something about this reminds me of Searching for Sugar Man… and I could certainly do with another film like that.
She wanted to be private. So let’s make a film exposing her entire life. Thanks, guys.
She wanted to be private and she was. She’s dead, she made it. But she was clearly an interesting person, and those pictures… My god, those pictures! And people want to know more about her to be able to put them into some sort of context. And that doesn’t even get into why she wanted to be private. Maybe she thought her pictures weren’t good enough. Maybe she had some sort of anxiety or other condition that, had it been treated, she would have been happy to share her pictures with people. Maybe this is righting a wrong that sadly could not be righted in her lifetime. Who knows? Either way, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. None of what happens now can possibly hurt her.
I’m with you, MaryAnn. I first saw these pictures on a segment on This American Life that they broadcast in theaters and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since. I’m not even someone who’s into photography, I don’t really know much of anything about it, but those pictures! They are so incredibly compelling.
You know there are two books of collections of the pictures out now, right? I had put them on my Amazon wish list so someone could get them for me for a gift-giving occasion, but I don’t think I’ll be able to wait that long.