Long gone are the days when you actually had to know someone to get a glimpse into their lives. The internet has allowed us to share our everyday existence with people around the world, regardless of how mundane or exciting it is. The strangest thing is, there’s an audience out there for this kind of content. Whilst most of us value some level of privacy, others have jumped at the opportunity to share everything about themselves with random strangers.
At the age of 14, Eva Collé declared privacy to be outdated and made the decision to begin blogging her diary online. Now, at the age of 25, the self-described model, feminist, sex-worker and recovering addict now lives in Berlin. Pia Hellenthal new documentary, Searching Eva, follows the online icon as she goes about her day in attempt to understand what makes her tick.
There is much to recommend the often slick and stylish Searching Eva. Hellenthal appears to have almost limitless access into the Italian’s life. Eva is a born exhibitionist and it would be naïve to think that much of the content isn’t merely part of her persona. However, through this process we get to glimpse numerous small insights into her psyche. This does raise concerns about how ethical giving her another platform is when the model’s mental health appears to be fairly precarious. Searching Eva raises a number of considerations about growing up in the public eye in a questioning and questionable way.
Searching Eva also screens at Sheffield Doc/Fest on 11 June.
