Photos: Virginia Film Festival
Peter Hujar’s Day
A film adaptation of the book recounting a real-life conversation that took place between photographer Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz, this documentary stars Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall in an enthralling recreation of a single day in 1974 Manhattan. Hujar, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1987, was a leading figure in New York City’s downtown scene in the 1970s and early ’80s, and known for his black and white portraits as well as his activism.
Drawn from the recording transcripts made by Rosenkrantz, the film examines the artist’s inner life and reflections on the previous day, creating a portrait that is simultaneously intimate and experimental. As Hujar, Whishaw reflects on the minutia and miscellany of his life, his routines, and his relationships with contemporaries like Allen Ginsberg, Fran Lebowitz, William Burroughs, and Susan Sontag. The film’s cinematography depicts the era perfectly, with a color palette that is only possible when filming on 16mm stock. Set in a time and place that are often thought of only in iconic moments, the resulting film is refreshingly personal in its attention, focusing on small moments and gestures as much as Hujar’s storytelling and interactions with Rosenkrantz. 10/24, Violet Crown 1 and 2
Come See Me In The Good Light
This documentary centers on poets and partners Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they explore love and mortality in response to an incurable cancer diagnosis. For those unfamiliar with their work, Gibson was a beloved queer poet and nonfiction writer perhaps best known for their live performances and spoken word. Their poems are often taut with probing self-reflection, overflowing with candor as they distill, digest, and cope with the mistakes, the fear, and the distress of life—all with a signature swagger. They wrote with softness and humor too though, which also shaped the experience of their cancer.
Gibson’s partner, Falley, is a queer femme poet, author, and teaching artist. Exploring their deep love for each other as well as the transformative power of laughter, dancing, and even pain, the film is goofy, intimate, and bittersweet in the wake of Gibson’s death from ovarian cancer in July. Recipient of the Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival, this screening of Come See Me In The Good Light will also feature a discussion with Emmy-nominated producer Jessica Hargrave, whose work has been shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary and won five Critics Choice Awards. 10/25, Violet Crown 5
Underland
Based on Robert Macfarlane’s bestselling book of the same title, Underland is an engrossing look at some of the places we rarely see, the stories we tell, and the meaning we make of the underground. From a naturally occurring cenote in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to man-made storm drains, abandoned mines, and advanced research facilities across the U.S. and Canada, the film invites viewers to examine what can be found in the depths of the Earth. Focusing on an archeologist, an urban explorer, and a theoretical particle physicist, the documentary unfolds through first-person meditations on the particular ways each person inhabits the underground. Whether just below a manhole cover or two kilometers underground, the topic is woven together with dreamy voice-over narration guiding the journey. Gorgeous documentary cinematography showcases the spaces they explore and exist in, the darkness swelling with dense soundscapes that are at once brooding and beckoning. Time-lapse footage of creeping roots and glowing mycelium is also mixed in, along with archival footage and abstractions of high-tech equipment and imagery. The film makes a lush companion to the book but also stands on its own and is perhaps best enjoyed in the cave-like obscurity of a darkened theater. 10/26, Violet Crown 3
