Rattaya Nimibutr
Staff Writer
Review
High Art, an intellectually stimulating film focusing on lesbian lifestyles and idealistic decisions, is not a movie hinging on the verge of "coming out," like many similar films. Rather, it chooses to focus on the desires of a young woman who is fascinated and intimidated by someone who leads her down a path where she's never been before.
Radha Mitchell (Love and Other Catastrophes) portrays Syd, a young and ambitious editor-in-training at a glamorous photography magazine. Her stable, if routine, life consists of working and going home to boyfriend James (Gabriel Mann) at the end of the day.
That path changes courses when Syd notices a leak coming from an upstairs apartment and decides to complain to the tenant.
Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), a once-celebrated photographer living with her heroin-addicted girlfriend Greta Krauss (Patricia Clarkson), opens the door to Syd. Her lifestyle of daily drug habits is clearly displayed, along with the uncertain, realistic truths of Lucy's life.
A friendship develops between the two women, and Syd attempts to rekindle Lucy's passion for photography once more, all the while exploring her own feelings toward the woman who has catapulted her into a different view of living.
Mitchell is definitely someone to watch as an uprising star, playing a young girl whose life has been completely changed by chance. Her work as Syd is truly convincing, and her style is gracefully attractive.
'80s icon Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) surprises as the calm outsider dragged down by her friends' drug and booze patterns. Her brilliant comeback performance here should erase her stamp as an eternal Brat-Packer. Her portrayal of Lucy's character captures the curiosity of a mysterious woman with a bizarre lifestyle.
Equally commendable are the performances from some supporting players, specifically Patricia Clarkson (Jumanji) as Lucy's enchanting, heroin-addicted German girlfriend, and Broadway veteran Tammy Grimes as Sheedy's mother. The mysterious appeal of both actresses draws you into the film's passion play.
Truthfully, the overall energy of this film is mediocre; if only it were as high as the spirits of the characters! Yet the storyline and chemistry between Mitchell and Sheedy should entice the audience enough to watch the two become enraptured in each other's desires.
Written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, this feature film debut does not overly scrutinize the romantic scenes between the two women, but rather allows the audience to watch a fascinating story from a window. More laid-back than emotional, High Art smartly explores homosexuality on the bases of love and desire, not the act of forcefully confronting your sexuality.
(High Art opens Friday.)
Rated
R
Running Time
95 min
Playing
Landmark Greenway