 High Art (1998) Maybe it's just a role that's perfectly suited to her understated, realistic acting style, but in any case her performance carries this movie mightily, and elevates it from a pretty good movie to a really good movie (though it's not quite a great movie—though for a price I will elevate the rating from "really good" to "sort of great"—a small price to pay for the studio, seeing as the Loud Bassoon Guide to Film is the most widely read and influential one around—feel the sting, Maltin!). It's a rare recent movie that warrants multiple viewings, mainly for the performances but also for a lot of Lisa Cholodenko's direction, which is unique and in some places, quite captivating. The story centers around an ambitious assistant editor of a photography magazine (Radha Mitchell as the editor, "Frame" as the magazine) meeting Sheedy's character ("Lucy Berliner"), a strung-out photography semi-legend who hasn't worked in a decade for personal reasons (mainly heroin, and her co-dependent relationship with her similarly adicted German lover Greta). The two become lovers, changing both of their lives in dramatic ways, giving Mitchell's character the sense of artistic credibility she has always coveted, and rejuvenating Lucy's desire to make a comeback. The storyline wisely contains itself to a small stretch of time rather than showing a span that goes beyond the scope of what the film is really trying to say (see Boogie Nights for an example of a movie that has no similar self-restraint). The various plots are unforced, staying true to the irregular linearity of people's real lives: the troubled relationship between Lucy and Greta; the blossoming and healthy relationship between Lucy and Mitchell; Mitchell's rocky falling-out with her boyfriend; Mitchell's relationships with her bosses at the magazine; Lucy's peripheral friends and her strained relationship with her wealthy mother. All of these are played out realistically and imbued with deep ambiguity, a quality that hearkens back to the "big" American films of the 70s (I'm not talking about Hot Skin in 3-D) – the ending, too, is very 70s, very Prince of the City, in its ambiguity. The film is well worth seeing for all of these elements. In addition to Sheedy's genuinely searing performance, the performances all around are good—Radha Mitchell in particular is incredibly appealing and powerful. Visually the film is impressive, finding the glamour in the bleakness of Lucy's life without trivializing or glamorizing the behaviors. There's a definite fringe feeling conjured up by the interiors of the movie, but this is fleshed out with strong characterization (such as showing the artist's rich-girl roots through her continued relationship with her mother). This sets it apart from films like I Shot Andy Warhol which attempt to capture the inside essence of art life without personalizing it at all, using it more as set design or thematic texture. b>High Art is a thoroughly accomplished film, not especially deep, but very well-executed on all fronts. It's not the kind of movie where you necessarily find a character to identify with, but it's very good at creating and justifying its characters. As a film about lesbian relationships, too, it's certainly one of the most real and honest I've seen, and the erotic elements are done with maximum effectiveness and minimum exploitation. The women in the film are not forced to speak as representatives of this or that lesbian archetype (as in Go Fish), but rather the relationships are played out with subtlety and not even really pigeonholed as "Lesbian Relationships." The whole movie meditates on the pitfalls of pursuing a truly individual life, and it does a good job of producing a truly individual movie in the process. Not everything about it is utterly stellar, but it is certainly one of the best movies I've seen recently, and has lingered with me. Highly recommended for film buffs, heroin addicts, and Lesbians.
Review by Obligato Damascus |