Releasing in March a new film about Robert Mapplethorpe arguably one of the most important artists of the 20th century. A chronicle of the career of Robert Mapplethorpe, from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his death in 1989 at the age of 42.
Mapplethorpe discovered himself both sexually and artistically in New York City throughout the 70’s and 80’s. The film depicts Mapplethorpe’s life from moments before he and Patti Smith moved into the famed Chelsea hotel, home to a world of bohemian chic. Here, he begins photographing its inhabitants and his new found circle of friends including artists and musicians, socialites, film stars, and members of the S&M underground. Mapplethorpe’s work displayed eroticism in a way that had never been examined nor displayed before to the public. Exploring the intersection of his art, his sexuality and his struggle for mainstream recognition, MAPPLETHORPE offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all.
“MAPPLETHORPE evokes tangible time and place in its every frame. A phenomenal performance from lead Matt Smith and arresting historical deference. Mapplethorpe was a complicated person, and the film admirably leans into that complexity.” – Lena Wilson, SLATE
“Timoner’s gutsiness is shared (and then some) by her star Matt Smith. Nothing holds Smith back from making Mapplethorpe come alive again, in every sense.” – Dan Callahan, THE WRAP
“A superb performance by Matt Smith. A bold and brilliant performance, an act of possession, really.”
– Keith Uhlich, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Directed by: Ondi Timoner
Written by: Ondi Timoner, Mikko Alanne
Cast: Matt Smith, Marianne Rendón, John Benjamin Hickey, Mark Moses, Carolyn McCormick, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kerry Butler
Release Date: March 1st, 2019
