If I had to rate Vivian's photography, I'd give it a 10 no problem. But I'm rating the documentary here. Her story is fascinating, and nicely told. It is a complete story, from the discovery of the documents as told by John Maloof, to the very emotional exposition in the village where she partially grew up in the French Alps. It is dual story : the story of her life, and the story of her photography. They're disconnected, as her photography was only discovered after her death. You get great interviews from photographers, as well as from children she took care of. It is both a fascinating and sad story, of an artist who was probably damaged during her youth and evolved to be this lonely yet touching human being. But it's also the story of John Maloof, who didn't let go and really went above and beyond to tell her story to the world. It's not a professional documentary by any means, it has a "TV like" quality and could have been done slightly better. For example the guy who says she has a fake French accent and claims he's an expert but won't show us his thesis is weird... It should have been cut off. I'm French, lived in Australia for years, and can tell a French accent. Hers was genuine, although clearly exagerated. It wasn't fake though, maybe she had a bit of German in there from her Austrian father. If you don't know Vivian Maier, it's a must watch, whether you're interested in photography or not.
Review of Finding Vivian Maier
