High Art

High Art is a 1998 film directed by Lisa Cholodenko. It follows the brief relationship between Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), an art photographer, and Syd (Radha Mitchell), an editor at a photography magazine. Though each of them already has a lover, Lucy and Syd are inexorably drawn to each other.

This film provides examples of:

 * Alter Kocker: Lucy's mom. Justified in that she is a.
 * Bury Your Gays:.
 * Dogged Nice Guy: James, who suffers in silence—up to a point.
 * Drugs Are Bad: Averted with most of the tertiary characters; played straight with.
 * Watch It Stoned: Lucy wants Syd to shoot up with her the first time
 * Functional Addict: Lucy, . Subverted by Greta, who is definitely no longer functional.
 * Kissing Under the Influence: Between Lucy and Syd, and Syd and James.
 * Love Triangle: Among Lucy, Syd, James and Greta.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Lucy Berliner is usually assumed to be a stand-in for Nan Goldin, a real-life lesbian Jewish photographer.
 * The Reason You Suck Speech: Syd gives one to James after he makes one too many snide comments about Lucy and her friends.
 * Smoking Is Cool: In this movie, the more "artistic" the character, the more likely that character is to smoke tobacco, do heroin or both.