High Art (1998)

A young female intern at a small magazine company and a drug-addicted lesbian photographer slowly fall in love while exploiting each other to advance their respective careers.

Director:

Lisa Cholodenko

Writer:

Lisa Cholodenko

Stars:

Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson

7 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Syd, who lives with her boyfriend James, goes to complain to her neighbor about the leak in the ceiling. Her neigbor is photographer Lucy Berliner and Syd starts to fall in love with her.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | nudity | drug overdose | cocaine | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, pervasive drug use and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lisa Cholodenko's first feature-length film.

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Quotes

Vera: Is it the German?

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Connections

References Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)

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Soundtracks

PH Balanced (For a Lady)
Written by Nathan Larson
Performed by Shudder to Think

User Reviews

Sweet Women And An Impressive Lesbian Theme Movie.

High Art is a 1998 Canadian-American independent film directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell.

Plot of the movie: 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.

Sweet women and an impressive lesbian theme movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

High Art

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,499, 14 June 1998

Gross USA:

$1,960,216

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,960,216

Company Credits

Production Co:

391 Productions, Antidote Films (I), October Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1