NYJFF Review: “Vishniac” a Compelling Documentary of a Phenomenal Jewish Artist

If you went to Hebrew School or a Jewish Day School (like I did) you’ve seen the work of Roman Vishniac.

Roman Vishniac’s photography work stunningly captured pre-Holocaust European Jewish life. I still remember seeing his work in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. His work captured the energy of Jewish life in the European cities, towns, and villages, finding the beauty in the every day. Alongside his travels, Vishniac’s fascination with biology lead to his creation of advanced microphotography technology still used today. It’s fair to say Vishniac captured whole worlds with his camera, and the documentary Vishniac superbly honored his work and life.

Director Laura Bialis explored how Vishniac made the world in his photos look alive. Bialis’ montages of Vishniac’s photos gave his work a narrative cohesion, giving a history context for his photography while making the photos more immersive . Her photo selection mixed with simple but immersive sound design enlivened Vishniac’s photos marvelously, aided by Bialis excellent B roll archival picks. The reenactment segments are effective at filling in visual gaps between the story, but at times they do come off abrupt. While they’re most helpful when contextualizing interviews, they’ll sometimes only last a few seconds a disrupt the flow. If the reenactments had a bit more style in their direction, they may have felt less distracting. The photos, interviews, and archival footage kept me invested enough in the film.

Beyond just being a fascinating look at Vishniac’s life and work, the film makes Vishniac a compelling character personally. The interviews with his family and academics portray him as a lively, romantic figure, while confronting his flaws. The film’s interviews with Vishniac’s daughter heavily dove into how his personality type aided his adventurous spirit while his aggrandizing and egotism held him back. The more balanced portrayal makes him more interesting and compelling to explore.

Vishniac is a informative and engaging documentary. Audiences familiar with Vishniac’s work will be drawn in by the film’s emotional honestly and skillful direction. At the same time, the film’s compelling for newcomers who’ll be drawn into how visually striking Vishniac’s photographs paint a picture of European life.  Vishniac will inspire others to explore his work, and act as a time capsule for the lives and stories he captured with his camera.

Vishniac will be playing at the Quad Cinema on Friday, January 19th