High Art is a 1998 independent romantic drama film written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, starring Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell. It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and was given a limited release in the United States on June 12, 1998.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Sheedy’s performance being particularly praised, and it won several awards, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress.
Syd (or simply “Syd”), 24, is a woman with her entire life mapped out before her. Living with her longtime boyfriend James and working hard at the high-end art photography magazine Frame, Syd has desires and frustrations that seem normal and manageable. But when a crack in her ceiling causes a leak and Syd finds herself knocking on her upstairs neighbor’s door, a chance encounter unexpectedly sets her on a new path.
Lucy Berliner, a glamorous, elusive, and strangely retired celebrity photographer, opens the door to an unexplored world for Syd. Now in her 40s, Lucy lives with her former German girlfriend, a heroin addict named Greta, and hosts a group of party kids who live it up. Syd is fascinated by Lucy and is drawn into Lucy’s strangely glamorous life upstairs.
Syd mentions Lucy to her bosses (not realizing that she is famous) but they remain unconcerned until they realize exactly who Lucy is. Over 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 that promises a second chance for Lucy’s career.
But as Syd and Lucy’s collaboration brings them closer together, their working relationship turns sexual and the lines between love and professionalism suddenly blur. As Syd gradually uncovers the dark 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.
