High Art

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High Art is a 1998 independent romantic drama written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, and starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell. It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and saw a limited release in the United States on June 12, 1998.

The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Sheedy's performance, which earned several accolades, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress.

Synopsis

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.

Cast

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Production notes

The photography by Lucy Berliner (Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin's work. The photographs were made by Jojo Whilden.[1]

Reception

Release

The film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews.[2] A 4K restoration was released in April 2025.[3]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76%, based on 49 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10.[4] The site's critics consensus reads, "A surprisingly sultry performance from Ally Sheedy elevates High Art from pretentious melodrama to compelling—if still a little pretentious—romance."[4] On Metacritic, High Art has a score of 73 based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5]

Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film as "masterful", noting "High Art is so perceptive and mature it makes similar films seem flippant. The performances are on just the right note, scene after scene, for what needs to be done."[6]

Emanuel Levy of Variety wrote, "The beauty of Cholodenko’s writing is that she etches the evolving friendship, and the transformation of the two women, step by step, without any cheating," and that she "painstakingly dissects the culture of heroin chic and its implications."[7] Of Sheedy, Levy wrote after years of "’80s teen-angst movies, [she] shakes up her old screen image entirely and emerges as a mature, highly disciplined actress."[7] Levy noted "Clarkson excels in portraying an aging, disenchanted actress, desperately clinging to Lucy – and to drugs", and singled out Mitchell as the film's "real revelation", saying "her scenes with Sheedy are so truthfully touching."[7]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the performances, but said the ending is one of "contrived inevitability."[8]

IndieWire listed it as #7 of The 15 Greatest Lesbian Movies of All Time.[9] In 2022, Autostraddle listed it as #58 of The 200 Best Lesbian Movies of All Time.[10]

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Template:Abbreviation
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Nominated
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Best Actress Ally Sheedy Nominated
Cannes Film Festival Golden Camera Lisa Cholodenko Nominated
[12]
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Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Ally Sheedy Nominated
[13]
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Chlotrudis Awards Best Movie Nominated
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Best Actress Ally Sheedy Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Nominated
Best Director Lisa Cholodenko Nominated
Deauville Film Festival Jury Special Prize Won
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Grand Special Prize Nominated
14th Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead Ally Sheedy Won
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Producers Award Susan A. Stover Won
Best First Feature Lisa Cholodenko, Dolly Hall, Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Susan A. Stover Nominated
Best Cinematography Tami Reiker Nominated
Best Supporting Female Patricia Clarkson Nominated
Best First Screenplay Lisa Cholodenko Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Film (Limited Release) Won
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Gotham Independent Film Awards Breakthrough Director Lisa Cholodenko Nominated
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Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Ally Sheedy Won
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National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won
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Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Nominated
Stockholm Film Festival Bronze Horse Lisa Cholodenko Nominated
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Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award Won
[21]
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Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival Golden Spike Nominated
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See also

References

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External links

Template:Lisa Cholodenko Template:GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release

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