Overview
A chance encounter leads to a profound connection that challenges the boundaries of love and art.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- sultry
- intimate
- melancholic
- arthouse film night
- queer cinema programming
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the mature, perceptive writing and exceptional performances, especially Ally Sheedy’s transformation and the truthful chemistry between Sheedy and Radha Mitchell, while finding the melodrama occasionally pretentious and the ending contrived.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Syd’s attraction to photographer Lucy develops through proximity, collaboration, and fascination with Lucy’s artistic identity.
Lucy’s photography, drug use, and exploitation by a magazine expose the implications of the heroin-chic culture surrounding her work.
Syd’s career opportunity and feelings for Lucy overlap as the magazine seeks access to Lucy’s life and images.
Lucy’s withdrawal from photography is connected to addiction, exhaustion, and disenchanted relationships with the art world.
Films like High Art, and why
Carol
intimate lesbian romance shaped by artistic ambition, emotional restraint, and urban alienation
The Watermelon Woman
lgbtq+ relationship drama combining desire, identity, and the pressures of creative self-definition
Blue Is the Warmest Color
sultry, psychologically observant romance centered on women negotiating intimacy and self-invention
Gia
independent queer drama with raw performances, addiction-adjacent conflict, and complicated emotional dependency
Movie Details
- Director
- Lisa Cholodenko
- Release Date
- 1998-06-12
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (155)
Cast
- Radha Mitchell
- Ally Sheedy
- Gabriel Mann
- Patricia Clarkson
- David Thornton
- Anh Duong
- Bill Sage
- Tammy Grimes
- Sarita Choudhury
- Charis Michelsen
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is High Art about?
- A young magazine editor’s attraction to her enigmatic photographer neighbor becomes an intimate collision of queer desire, artistic ambition, and addiction.
- What is High Art like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of High Art as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is High Art violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in High Art.
- What did critics think of High Art?
- Critics broadly praised the mature, perceptive writing and exceptional performances, especially Ally Sheedy’s transformation and the truthful chemistry between Sheedy and Radha Mitchell, while finding the melodrama occasionally pretentious and the ending contrived.
- Which films are like High Art?
- Films with a similar feel include Carol, The Watermelon Woman, Blue Is the Warmest Color, and Gia.
- How long is High Art?
- High Art runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch High Art?
- In United States, High Art is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
