In 2007, John Maloof, a 25-year-old American, searches for old photos of Chicago to illustrate a book and buys a box of negatives and film at a auction. Once developed, he finds himself captivated by the anonymous street portraits and decides to investigate. And so he discovers the mysterious Vivian Maier, a single and eccentric woman who worked as a nanny, hiding her amazing work from everyone. Thanks to Maloof’s work, Maier has posthumously become a renowned photographer …

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There is something both beautiful and tragic in this sober documentary as it investigates a figure who is somewhere between Diane Arbus and Virginia Woolf. There is a great destiny missed and opportune chance in John Maloof’s quest, a documentary made mostly of interviews with people who were more or less close to Vivian Maier. It attempts to gather clues that might give access to the heart and soul of this artist, as Maier was mainly an impenetrable and mysterious woman who shied away from any kind of examination of her life. Thanks to Maloof’s touching and honest hand, Finding Vivian Maier is far from a classic documentary; it is beautifully moving in the same way as the recent Sugar Man.