Indie 90s: High Art (1998)
Director: Lisa Cholodenko Run Time: 101 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1998
Starring: Ally Sheedy, David Thornton, Gabriel Mann, Patricia Clarkson, Radha Mitchell
Country: United States
Language: English
Indie 90s: The Revolution That Changed Cinema
The ’90s didn’t just give us great movies, it changed what movies could be. Independent filmmakers that were breaking the rules, finding new voices, and reshaping American cinema.
Indie 90s features twenty-two films in all — all independent, all revolutionary.
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About the film:
At 24, Syd has landed what seems to be a dream job but she’s still stuck fetching coffee, until chance meeting with her upstairs neighbor, Lucy Berliner. Lucy, a once-celebrated photographer, lives an enthralling life with her drug-addicted German girlfriend, that draws Syd in. Before she can catch her breath, Syd discovers dark truths of life on the edge, is forced to confront the price of her hunger for recognition and public esteem.
About the filmmaker:
Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director whose works are distinguished by their nuanced characters, sharp observational humor, and deeply empathetic storytelling. A defining voice in American filmmaking, she helped to broaden the representation of LGBTQ+ lives and unconventional families in mainstream cinema while preserving the creative freedom of independent film. She made her feature directorial debut with High Art (1998), a groundbreaking drama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and screened in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. She followed up with Laurel Canyon (2002) and The Kids Are All Right (2010), a critically acclaimed family comedy-drama that earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. She has also directed for television, including episodes of the miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014) and Unbelievable (2019).
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