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High Art
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Wikipedia article
'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
* Sarita Choudhury as Joan
Crew
Soundtrack by Shudder to ThinkReception
Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film as "masterful", noting "'High Art' is so perceptive and mature it makes similar films seem flippant. The performances are on just the right note, scene after scene, for what needs to be done."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76%, based on 49 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10.
IndieWire listed it as #7 of The 15 Greatest Lesbian Movies of All Time. Autostraddle listed it as #31 of 100 Best Lesbian Movies of All Time in 2015.
Production notes
The photography by Lucy Berliner (Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin's work. The photographs were made by Jojo Whilden.
See also
* List of LGBT films directed by women
References
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