High Art (1998)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Lisa Cholodenko

Writer:

Lisa Cholodenko (writer)

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

a story of ambition, sacrifice, seduction and other career moves.

Plot:

A young female intern at a small magazine company becomes involved with a drug-addicted lesbian photographer, both of whom seek to exploit each other for their respective careers, while slowly falling in love with each other.

Plot Keywords:

Magazine | Photographer | Lesbian | Assistant Editor | Cocaine

Awards:

7 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Radha Mitchell	...	Syd
Gabriel Mann	...	James
Charis Michelsen	...	Debby
David Thornton	...	Harry
Anh Duong	...	Dominique
Ally Sheedy	...	Lucy Berliner
Patricia Clarkson	...	Greta
Helen Mendes	...	White Hawk
Bill Sage	...	Arnie
Tammy Grimes	...	Vera
Cindra Feuer	...	Delia
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Xander
Elaine Tse	...	Zoe
Rudolf Martin	...	Dieter
Laura Ekstrand	...	Waitress

Also Known As:

L'art interdit (Canada: French title) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, pervasive drug use and language.

Runtime:

101 min | Colombia:87 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

391 Productions

Trivia:

The character of Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin's life and work.

Quotes:

Arnie: I'll wait for you, ladies. Enjoy your fight. I'll be right here when you're done.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lunch Break (2005)

Soundtrack:

PH Balanced (For a Lady)

Taken In Context: Flawless

Just my opinion:

Most of the Actors in High Art have narrow ranges, but that doesn't make them "bad" actors, just limited to a range of motion (like a great distance runner who is a lousy sprinter). It takes a patient and focused Director to recognize what that kind of actor can do in the right setting. Most Directors seem to steam roller through their vision of the script and force actors to conform to an abstract idea (they make the poor sprinter sprint anyway instead of giving them a long quiet run to excel at). High Art isn't about Ally Sheedy showing she's an unappreciated powerhouse, it's about Director Lisa Cholodenko giving Ally the room and role to do the kind of acting she's never been allowed to do. Fellow "distance runner/lousy sprinter" Radha Mitchell is also perfectly placed in every scene. These two are the narrower players, they're like bold colors you can't use to excess and can't water down without ruining the whole painting. Then like a good painter Cholodenko does bring in a powerhouse in someone like Patricia Clarkson. Unlike Sheedy and Mitchell, Clarkson is spread thin and applied liberally. And I don't mean screen time. Clarkson's pull on the plot between Sheedy and Mitchell makes their specialized boldness stand out. It gives them weight and dissolves into itself. The painting analogies are cheesy, but that's what the grace of this film is to me. Clarkson is definitely a deeper actor than Sheedy or Mitchell, but instead of upstaging them her role in this film elevates them. If you were to paint two small but boldly colored flowers on a canvas you would need a more universal, softer backdrop to make the two flowers take form (in a realistic painting at least). This movie is not about a plotline, not really. Like a painting it suggests something with a seemingly straight ahead depiction of, well: drugs and sexual awakenings, career ambition, disillusionment that follows great success. It's flawless to me because it only suggests these things and does not offer any conclusions. It just is. High Art.