****
Cast: Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell, Patricia Clarkson, Gabriel Mann
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Rating: R18
Review: Naomi Larkin
A leak in the bathroom sends Syd upstairs, into the arms of Lucy and heroin.
Syd (Mitchell), an editorial assistant for trendy New York photographic magazine Frame, is overcome by the photographs of Lucy (Sheedy) which cover
the walls of her apartment above hers.
Undaunted by Lucy's heroin-addict girlfriend Greta (Clarkson), who is openly disdainful of her, or their bohemian friends, Syd revisits. She persuades Lucy - who turned her back on photography 10 years earlier - to do a spread for Frame.
Against the wishes of her boyfriend James and of Greta, Syd and Lucy go on a trip north where their relationship blossoms. They return to New York where everything comes unstuck.
Lucy and Syd's relationship develops quickly but the obvious sexual chemistry and mutual intellectual admiration is explanation enough. Likewise, Lucy and Greta's codependence and lingering sexual attraction are reasons for their remaining together.
The casting is excellent. Sheedy gives a startling performance, worth the wait since her last substantial appearance as part of The Breakfast Club's brat-pack. Whippet-thin, she prowls with sexual and intellectual confidence while managing to portray the weaknesses which keep her locked into Greta and heroin.
Clarkson, as the nodding, junked-out but ever-perceptive Greta, has a presence which accounts for why her lover and friends remain for more than just the drugs.
Mitchell (the Aussie star of Love and Other Catastrophes) is a brilliant contrast - all peaches and cream, awestruck yet willing to take them all on.
High Art is not all about being a lesbian and falling in love. It is a classic love triangle where the principals happen to be female.
It is slow-moving but the desire to see how the relationships develop and/or fall apart supersedes the few flat patches.
