High Art
| High Art | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster | |
| Directed by | Lisa Cholodenko |
| Produced by |
Antidote Films Jeff Levy-Hinte, Susan Stover, Dolly Hall |
| Written by | Lisa Cholodenko |
| Starring | |
| Distributed by | October Films |
Release date | June 12, 1998 (USA) |
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,929,168 (USA) |
High Art is a 1998 Canadian-American independent film directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell.
Synopsis
Sydney (or simply "Syd"), age 24, is a woman who has her whole life mapped out in front of her. Living with longtime boyfriend James, and working her way up at the respected high-art photography magazine Frame, Syd has desires and frustrations that seem typical and manageable. But when a crack in her ceiling springs a leak and Syd finds herself knocking on the door of her upstairs neighbor, a chance meeting suddenly takes her on a new path.
Opening the door to an uncharted world for Syd is Lucy Berliner, a renowned photographer, enchanting, elusive, and curiously retired. Now 40, Lucy lives with her once glamorous, heroin-addicted German girlfriend Greta, and plays host to a collection of hard-living party kids. Syd is fascinated by Lucy and becomes drawn into the center of Lucy's strangely alluring life upstairs.
Syd mentions Lucy to her bosses (without realising that she is famous) but they remain uninterested until they realise exactly who Lucy is. At a lunch, Lucy agrees to work for the magazine as long as Syd is her editor. Soon a working relationship develops between the two and a project is underway which promises a second chance for Lucy's career. But as Syd and Lucy's collaboration draws them closer together, their working relationship turns sexual and the lines between love and professionalism suddenly blur. As Syd slowly discovers the darker truths of Lucy's life on the edge, she is forced to confront her own hunger for recognition and the uncertain rewards of public esteem.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Ally Sheedy as Lucy Berliner
- Radha Mitchell as Syd, an assistant editor at Frame
- Gabriel Mann as James, Syd's live-in boyfriend
- Charis Michelsen as Debby
- David Thornton as Harry, an editor at Frame and Syd's boss
- Anh Duong as Dominique, chief editor of Frame
- Patricia Clarkson as Greta, a German actress and Lucy's live-in girlfriend
- Helen Mendes as White Hawk
- Bill Sage as Arnie
- Tammy Grimes as Vera, Lucy's mother
- Cindra Feuer as Delia
- Anthony Ruivivar as Xanderr
- Elaine Tse as Zoe
- Rudolf Martin as Dieter
- Laura Ekstrand as Waitress
Crew
Soundtrack by Shudder to Think
Reviews and Reception
Indiewire listed it as #7 of the "The 15 Greatest Lesbian Movies of All Time."[1] Autostraddle listed it as #31 of "100 Best Lesbian Movies Of All Time" in 2015.[2]
Production notes
The photography by Lucy Berliner (Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin's work. The photographs themselves were made by Jojo Whilden.[3]
References
- ↑ "15 Greatest Lesbian Movies of All Time". IndieWire.
- ↑ "The 100 Best Lesbian Movies Of All Time". Autostraddle. 2015-08-11. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
- ↑ "Cold Dish of Careerism". Metroactive Movies. 1998-06-18. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
External links
- Official Site
- High Art on IMDb
- High Art at Rotten Tomatoes
- High Art at Box Office Mojo
- Movie reviews:
- The New York Times (Janet Maslin)
- Roger Ebert
- CNN