Fragments of a Participant Observation

Fragments of a Participant Observation - Identity under the gaze

This insightful documentary invites audiences into a layered meditation on perception and identity. Paula, both subject and spectator, embodies the duality of seeing and being seen.

çHer story is punctuated by biting reflections—“Know the difference between an old maid and a spinster? The old maid does not have a choice.” In that contrast lies the film’s core: a portrait of how women are framed by society, by others, and by themselves.

Combining observation with self-reflection, the film blurs the boundaries between documentary and performance, revealing that the gaze is never neutral—it is a powerful, judgmental, and sometimes liberating force.