She had a dark side.
Finding Vivian Maier documents the work and art of a New York nanny born in 1929. By diving into her life through the thousands of photographs and films she kept hidden in her lifetime, this documentary tries to uncover the elusive creature that is Vivian Maier.
She probably didn’t want all this fame. ‘Oh No’ she’d say, ‘Oh No, now why did he do that?’
Vivian Maier became a nanny for the freedom it allowed her after working in an oppressive sewing sweatshop for little pay. In between nanny-ing, She traveled the world extensively, intruding into private and emotional moments of humanity in dozens of countries with her Rollieflex camera. She captured sadness, joy and the weathered effects of poverty in New York City with her camera positioned at her stomach. as the film explains, her photos often have a towering perspective, giving authority to her subjects. although a street photography genuis, Vivian had a dark side.
In interviews with former charges, it quickly comes to light that Vivian’s obsession with disturbing newspaper headlines, her eye for the grotesque and off-kilter, point to deeper mental issues. Not only was Vivian terrified and angry at men around her, but her grown charges recount physical abuse, perpetuating a cycle she no doubt suffered within herself. One woman recounts how Vivian force fed and choked her as a child, noting that Vivian had likely been through something terrible herself. Vivian was also a hoarder, keeping piles of newspapers reaching to the ceiling in her small quarters with each family she lived with.
Vivian’s mental health and accusations against her of child abuse beg the relevant debate: Can we or should we respect the artistic work of a person who knowingly used their power to sexual or physically abuse others? Does great art require a deranged mind? am I even asking the right questions?
In the case of Woody Allen, Hollywood refuses to acknowledge the victim’s perspective, a 7 year old Dylan Farrow who has had to live with the trauma of her molestation and also the problematic reaction of Hollywood- one which denied Dylan’s voice while lauding Woody for his work, as though his artistic work that can determine his entire character.
What if (dare I ask it) great art and being propelled towards abusively dominant and completely inappropriate behavior just go together. What if one enables the other and vice versa? What if this is the price we pay for great art?
These are not easy questions and I am without answers. The feminist side of me (and the side that has to live in a world all too accepting of perpetrators of violence) says, “No, we must not accept or condone sexual, physical or mental abuse of anyone, going so far as to deny the perpetrator an artistic voice in the world because they do not deserve artistic recognition unless they can make a valuable artistic contribution to society without perpetuating cycles of violence.”
But then again, what if great art can and does emerge from the grotesque depths of our beings? The world must not shy away from these difficult dialogues and shun artists, but instead must engage with the art while not forgetting the darker sides of humanity and the real human lives that were negatively affected by abuse.
Surprisingly amusing at times and disturbingly dark, Finding Vivian Maier wove a complex portrait of an elusive photographer and disturbed person who is quickly becoming one of the most respected photographers of our century postmortem.
Bechtel Test Score: Passes on all accounts. There are multiple women who talk to each other about Vivian and a variety of related topics.
– Hans
Hula Hooping Hannah 