Ilona, Upstairs (2004)

ILONA, UPSTAIRS is a portrait of an artist; a glimpse at a butterfly who wants no association with her life as a caterpillar. In this mixed format documentary, deftly filmed in part by Albert Maysles, Ilona sings, dances, orates, paints, swims, and smells the roses, but will not, under any circumstances, face the specifics of her painful past. Melissa Hammel, the director and Ilona's downstairs neighbor, aspires to unearth some of Ilona's many skeletons in order to learn how one transitions from a place of great sorrow to a place of great joy. Sometimes Melissa tip-toes around issues, sometimes she asks directly. Repeatedly, however, she is met with a stiff arm. Perhaps the more important lessons are found in Ilona's present, as she's insisted all along.