High Art

views updated

High Art ★★ 1998 (R)

A trio of women play romantic games in New York's art community. Ambitious magazine editor-in-training Syd (Mitchell) has a boyfriend, James (Mann), but feels something's missing. Noticing a leak in her apartment ceiling, Syd heads upstairs to confront her neighbor and meets Lucy Berliner (Sheedy), a once-celebrated, now-retired photographer with a heroin problem and an equally hooked girlfriend, Greta (Clarkson). Syd and Lucy begin a friendship that leads to an affair, while Syd also wants to revitalize Lucy's career. ExBrat Packer Sheedy's the real revelation with her standout performance. 102m/C VHS, DVD . Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson, Tammy Grimes, Gabriel Mann, William Sage, David Thornton, Anh Duong; D: Lisa Cholodenko; W: Lisa Cholodenko; C: Tami Reiker; M: Craig (Shudder to Think) Wedren. Ind. Spirit ‘99: Actress (Sheedy); L.A. Film Critics ‘98: Actress (Sheedy); Natl. Soc. Film Critics ‘98: Actress (Sheedy); Sundance ‘98: Screenplay.