Oxford Brookes University
First-person documentary filmmaking : an ethical act or an act of betrayal?
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThis practice-based Ph.D. involves the making of a 50-minute essay film, Lessons Between the Lines (2025) - an intimate portrait of Monika, a psychodynamic therapist whose childhood was shaped by her parents’ alcoholism. I gathered testimony of Monika’s life through interviews carried out between 2020 and 2025. The project raises ethical questions about filming someone talking about their most private experiences, but it also became a mirror for my own story. The central question running through this thesis is whether the documentary filmmaker’s very act of filming betrays the filmed person - and whether first-person filmmaking can be an ethical act rather than an act of betrayal. I am a self-reflective researcher and practitioner with a background in filmmaking and a strong personal interest in psychoanalysis. I grew up in Warsaw, the son of an alcoholic father, and I attended an ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) support group, too. The thesis draws on Piotrowska’s psychoanalytic framework for documentary ethics, Rascaroli’s work on the essay film, and Nichols’ documentary modes, and identifies a gap in existing scholarship: the absence of work by and about filmmakers who are both ACA and LGBTQ+. In response, I propose the concept of the transformative essay film - a form of first-person documentary in which both the filmmaker and the subject are genuinely changed by the process. I believe this project reflects not only Monika’s experiences but also my own, and working on it has had a huge impact on my private life. The research finds that when a filmmaker and subject share a relationship built on trust and co-ownership, the transference dynamic that Piotrowska identifies as ethically dangerous can become the basis of something honest and transformative. Monika’s response at the first screening confirmed that she did not feel betrayed. This project is far more than a confessional portrait - it is an investigation into my own identity, and an argument that intimate, first-person filmmaking can be an ethical act under certain circumstances. Note on the accompanying documentary film: The data is not confidential; however, access is subject to very limited viewing rights. Restrictions are in place to respect the wishes of the participant to ensure the terms of the ethics approval are maintained. The material will be available for limited viewing and may be accessed for peer review or academic integrity purposes. Access to the film can be requested via institutional email: tde-artsenquiry@brookes.ac.uk. The data will be shared by Oxford Brookes University in accordance with the terms of the agreement in the documents: Consent to Take Part in Research and Photo Consent and Release Form and Supplementary Consent Addendum.
Degree
thesis:*- Name dc:type.qualificationname
- Ph.D
- Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
- Doctoral
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- Oxford Brookes University
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Koper, Ireneusz
- Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Buckland, Warren
- Piotrowska, Agnieszka
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- DOI dc:identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.24384/krt3-p623