19-25 January
2026
This documentary offers an intimate look at Patricia Highsmith, one of the last century’s great authors. Through her personal notes and the people closest to her, Loving Highsmith reveals fresh insight into her persona and body of work.
Patricia Highsmith was one of the great authors of the 20th century and is likely best known today through the over 20 adaptations that have been done from her books, among them Carol (2015) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). Highsmith was also infamous for her many romantic conquests, and with a particular focus on these, Loving Highsmith uncovers new sides of a woman who, in spite of having expressed herself through an extensive authorship, is often considered inaccessible, cold, and enigmatic.
Loving Highsmith is an intimate portrait of the author, constructed from a number of close sources. Director Eva Vitija tells Highsmith’s story by assembling her diaries, notes, and interviews with several of her partners and other close relations. All this adds up to an image of a fascinating person; she made an indelible impression on many of those who knew her, and behind her reclusive facade, she hid a passionate, traumatized, and particularly complex personality.
Eva Vitija (b. 1973) is a director and screenwriter from Basel, Switzerland. She has written screenplays for multiple film and TV productions, and received several awards for her directorial debut, the documentary My Life as a Film (2015).
2015 My Life as A Film: How my Father tried to capture Happiness
2013 Storm & Co. (Short)
Kl 14:45
Verdensteatret
Kl 13:45
Fokus 4
Programme: | Patricia Highsmith: Beautiful Shadows |
Director: | Eva Vitija |
Country: | Switzerland, Germany |
Year: | 2022 |
Run time: | 1h 23m |
Screenplay: | Eva Vitija |
Photo: | Siri Klug |
Cast: | Patricia Highsmith, Marijane Meaker, Monique Buffet, Maren Kroymann, Annina Butterworth, Gwendoline Christie |
Dialogue: | English, German, French |
Producer: | Franziska Sonder, Maurizius Staerkle-Drux |
Source: | Edge Entertainment |