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Marion Milner On Screen: Filming A Life of One’s Own

Mixing fiction, documentary and dance, A Life of One’s Own brings to life the book by psychoanalyst, writer and painter, Marion Milner.

In her book, twenty-six-year-old Marion Milner sets out to find, “the conditions in which happiness accord.” Rejecting “mass produced ideals” she favours self-observation, investigating her own experience through the keeping of a diary. A seven-year journey unfolds, Milner creating a personal and idiosyncratic language for the workings of the mind.

Filmed predominantly inside the Lichtburg, the rehearsal room of choreographer Pina Bausch, A Life of One’s Own unfolds in a Theatre of the Mind, conjuring moments from Milner’s diaries for her to observe, with Milner played by an actor and a dancer.

A Life of One’s Own is the culmination of a decade of research by filmmaker Tom Shkolnik into the life and work of Marion Milner, supported by friend and psychoanalyst, Adam Phillips and Milner’s grandson, Giles Milner. Tom’s talk will reflect on the project and the process of bringing Milner’s ideas to life on screen.

Tom Shkolnik trained as a director at the Drama Centre London. Whilst there, he made his first two shorts, Headphones and A Picture of Me. In 2006, he made In The Dark as part of the Coming Up series for Channel 4, followed by One Happy Moment. His feature debut, The Comedian premiered at the London Film Festival in 2012 and was nominated for both the Sutherland Award and Best British Newcomer. In 2022 Tom made The Women by the Lake, the first instalment of the Isolation Trilogy. He is currently raising funds to complete the editing of A Life of One’s Own: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-life-of-ones-own-a-film