--- title: "Finding Vivian Maier: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/finding-vivian-maier/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/finding-vivian-maier" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Finding Vivian Maier (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 15 reviews: 9 positive, 6 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics find Finding Vivian Maier an absorbing documentary, with praise clustering around Maier’s street photographs and the investigation into her elusive life. The images provide the strongest point of agreement: reviews repeatedly single out their power, while many find the gradual portrait of their maker compelling. Several also value John Maloof’s direct involvement in the discovery, which gives the film access to a story its subject kept private. Reservations concern how that story is told, with responses ranging from warm approval to mixed assessments. Some critics find the mystery insufficiently resolved; others think the pursuit of personal revelations displaces attention to the art. The Skinny objects to gossipy psychological speculation, while The New Yorker challenges the tendency to treat Maier’s independence and difficult behaviour as pathology. Maloof’s financial stake also divides opinion: Vulture explicitly rejects the suggestion that his commercial interests undermine the film. ## Vulture — Jerry Saltz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2014. Saltz warmly praises the absorbing documentary and credits Maloof with bringing Maier’s work to light. He singles out the power and intensity of her photographs, while rejecting criticism that Maloof’s commercial interests undermine the film. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/03/saltz-on-finding-vivian-maier.html) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 4/5. The review finds the documentary compelling and skilfully, sympathetically made. It particularly praises the story of Maier’s discovery and the film’s portrayal of her complex character. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-y1shvf/finding-vivian-maier/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2014. Bradshaw finds the documentary fascinating and praises Maier as a brilliant, undiscovered talent. He particularly highlights the striking street photographs and the mystery surrounding Maier’s life. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/17/finding-vivian-maier-documentary-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2014. Turan finds the documentary gripping and its central mystery fascinating, while noting that Maier remains elusive. He praises the film’s direct access to the story through co-director John Maloof, whose determination to uncover Maier’s life drives the investigation. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-finding-vivian-maier-review-20140328-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Sheila O'Malley Rating 3/4. 28 March 2014. The review regards the documentary as an engaging portrait that leaves Vivian Maier’s mystery intact. It singles out the photographs and the film’s exploration of the elusive photographer for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/finding-vivian-maier-2014) ## Variety — Rob Nelson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2013. Festival review. Nelson finds the documentary initially playful and ultimately haunting, praising its balance of insider knowledge and universal intrigue. He singles out the vivid photography and the slow, compelling portrait of Maier, while noting the film’s limited exploration of art-world resistance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/finding-vivian-maier-review-toronto-1200611497/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2014. The critic finds the documentary intriguing, though it raises complicated questions about artistic salvage. He singles out the discovery of Maier’s hidden trove of masterful street photography. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/finding-vivian-maier-review/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2014. The review finds the documentary inspiring and its subject’s contradictions tantalising. It praises Maier’s photographs, which speak for themselves despite her secretive life and the troubling revelations about her. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/finding-vivian-maier-film-review-9612975.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Boyd van Hoeij Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2013. Festival review. The critic finds the documentary sleek and intriguing, though overly commercial and uncertain about its central questions. He praises Maier’s remarkable photographs, while noting that the film never explains why she kept them private. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/finding-vivian-maier-toronto-review-623694/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick McCarthy Rating 2.5/4. 26 March 2014. The review finds the documentary inquisitive and worthwhile, though it becomes sensationalistic and loses focus on Maier’s art. It praises the film’s curiosity and its questions about artistic privacy and the ethics of revealing Maier’s work. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/finding-vivian-maier/) ## Time Out — Keith Uhlich Rating 3/5. 14 July 2014. Uhlich gives the film three out of five, a middling verdict. The available metadata foregrounds Maier’s eccentric life as a Chicago nanny, but offers no further critical detail. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/finding-vivian-maier) ## The New Yorker — Rose Lichter-Marck Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2014. The essay is critical of the documentary’s framing of Maier, while valuing the questions her story raises. It objects to the film’s tendency to cast her independence and difficult behavior as signs of pathology. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/vivian-maier-and-the-problem-of-difficult-women) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 7.5/10. 28 March 2014. Grierson finds the documentary persuasive and ultimately worthwhile, despite concerns about the director’s financial stake. He praises Maier’s haunting, soulful photography as the film’s strongest evidence of her artistic talent. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/finding-vivian-maier) ## The Skinny — Kristian Doyle Rating ★★★. 21 June 2014. Festival review. Doyle finds the documentary disappointing because it prioritizes mystery over Maier’s photography. He criticizes its gossipy psychological speculation and wishes it had focused more on her art. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-festivals/film/eiff-2014-finding-vivian-maier) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2014. Wilkinson finds the documentary engaging but feels it leaves the audience short of the bigger picture. She praises Maier’s striking photographs while noting that the film’s portrait remains incomplete. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/finding-vivian-maier-2013-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/finding-vivian-maier.md