Finding Vivian Maier/2014/Ravine Pictures/83 min.

“Finding Vivian Maier,” a documentary about a mysterious photographer, is a real-life detective story that raises thorny issues about ethics and about art. The film revolves around a woman named Vivian Maier who, while working as a nanny on the North Side of Chicago in the 1950s and 60s, took more than 100,000 photos of people she encountered and places she explored, often with her charges in tow.

Perhaps oddly, she made little effort to share her work, printing relatively few of the negatives. In fact, she was reclusive and secretive; her huge stash of photos became part of her packrat’s storage nest along with stacks of newspapers (she was partial to crime stories), receipts, knick-knacks, jewelry and clothes. In 2007, a history buff named John Maloof bought a box of her negatives for about $400 at a thrift auction in Chicago, thinking it might serve a book project, then decided against including the photos.

Later Maloof rummaged through the box and became intrigued – make that obsessed – with finding out who took all the photos and why. Maier died in 2009 at 83 and her obit gave him the first meaty clue. The documentary retraces his sleuthing steps and pieces together a sketchy look at Maier’s eccentric life, interviewing a number of talking heads, including her former employers and their now-grown children.

Born in the Bronx to a French mother and Austrian father, Maier’s personal history is fraught with paradox and sadness. She reportedly feared men but was often bold in snapping pictures of strangers; she was an avid observer of human connection and emotion but had few friends; she was fondly remembered by most of the kids she cared for but was said to be on bad terms with her own family; in her later years, she may have been mentally ill. We’re presented with contradictory reports of what she was like, yet one thing is beyond dispute: she treasured her privacy.

Since being brought to light by Maloof, Maier’s work has garnered huge popular acclaim and some critical praise, though the fine-art establishment has been slower in bestowing its stamp of approval. Maloof, who co-directed this film with Charlie Siskel (Gene Siskel’s nephew), mostly comes off as an earnest cheerleader and champion of a neglected artist.

But it’s hard to overlook the fact that Maloof profits from the lifelong effort of a woman now dead who by all accounts kept her work to herself. I couldn’t help feeling at times that Maloof was providing a protest-too-much justification for his quest to illuminate the shadows of someone else’s life. As both co-director and interviewee, Maloof doesn’t have to answer any hard questions. That said, Maier’s impressive body of work deserves discovery and appreciation.

At its best, “Finding Vivian Maier,” is a first-class mystery and, through the gorgeous black and white photos, a fascinating look at long-ago urban life. At its worst, “Finding Vivian Maier,” is documentary filmmaking at its least rigorous.

“Finding Vivian Maier” opened last weekend and is currently in theaters.

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