High Art

I liked it being called a "pretentious melodrama". Add in Lesbian and drugs, and you got a good description. I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list. SLC DVD.

Sheedy and Mitchell's devotion to the material is likely to wrap you up in the first act but I can't say if Director Cholodenko even pondered on the third act being anywhere near as fulfilling as the first. Worthwhile for the acting alone I'd say.

Photo editor falls in love with upstairs neighbour, a retired photographer with a drug addiction and wrong friends. Emotionally drained characters populate this unremarkable movie. The two protagonists drag the film along and make it even slightly engaging. The soundtrack has a few captivating pieces.

Superb, sexy, heartbreaking love story that is also a profound and realistic meditation on art and the art business. Stellar acting by the two leads as well as the inimitable Patricia Clarkson as the German junkie-ist German junkie ever captured on screen. Captivating.

The majority of the characters in High Art speak in hushed whispers, seemingly disinterested in their surroundings, other than where their next fix is coming from. The remaining characters, all in the publishing business, converse in patronizing platitudes, always careful to maintain the monotone drone used to convey superiority. It's essentially the story of Lucy (Ally Sheedy), a photographer who has fallen out of the scene for a decade, and her relationship with Syd (Radha Mitchell), a photo magazine editor who tries to lure Lucy back into the world of photography. The relationship between the two leads is interesting, but the secondary characters, of which there are far too many, are vacuous and one-dimensional shells that suck the energy out of the film. In addition, much of the dialogue feels stilted or forced, which further detracts from what could have been an interesting film.

Wonderful film, beautifully written and shot, and well acted. The perspective though the eyes of Radha Mitchell keeps the film focused, and it is unveiled before us one layer at a time and not at all erratic. Easily watchable film and not overdone, and the writing is just perfect. This is a film you will remember, and I have.

High Art [Lisa Cholodenko, 1998, United States] Solid, sexy, crafted characters. a psychological rollercoaster. 6/10

I didnt see the ending coming, i was kind of frustrated. But the movie itself is nothing crazy, just a nice 90's plot.

Just a beautiful film.

The film's exceedingly slow, mildly pretentious trappings are limiting, but strong performances, an interesting premise, and several intelligent ideas about artificiality/authenticity make it a mildly rewarding sit.