It’s really a movie about photography, the art of direct observation. But it comes wrapped in a tale of transition. A renowned commercial photographer and artist, Jay Maisel, after forty-eight years living there and at 88 unable to fund its upkeep, must sell his home. His digs are unique — the 36,000 square-foot, 100-year-old landmark building in lower Manhattan known as “The Bank.” Artist and filmmaker Stephen Wilkes presents his friend and mentor’s conundrum as an allegory for mortality– and the film builds in profundity with Maisel’s touching commentaries on the meaning of life and art, looking and seeing, and the perfectly natural human drive to hang onto it all.
Jay Myself | now playing at Laemmle Theatres | also at DOC/NYC in November | recommended