Eva Vitija
(sortie le 13/04/22)
“The story emerges from my bones”, Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) writes. The documentary of Eva Vitija investigates the intimate life of the Texas-born novelist, searching to give contour to her elusive identity. Once it starts, the audience enters an unfolding spiral: archives, testimonials from people who loved her, expressive photos, interviews with Patricia, fragments of movies after her books, words from her journals, her voice. A passionate confession that reveals the hidden love-filled experiences with the women she met.
The documentary succeeds to give expression to the emotions which in her context had to be suffocated or filtered. The poetry of these is captured in well-chosen, intense images serving as metaphors. “People, places, things are germs” for her stories and therefore also for the documentary. Passionate about life, wanting to free herself from conventions, Patricia Highsmith is an avid traveler, who swings between loneliness and fervent relationships. Quietude she finds through writing and love is the creative driving force. The vital desire to share closeness transpires in both people on the screen and the ones watching.
The documentary nurtures the audience with an enduring curiosity to discover more about the fascinating presence of Patricia Highsmith, the same as her gaze leaves a certain space for further seeking.
- Sânziana Maximeasa
