The downtown scene of New York City in the 1970s was rich in culture, innovation and edge, with key figures such as Allen Ginsberg, Fran Lebowitz, and Andy Warhol pioneering an avant-garde community of creatives. Behind many of the iconic images of this time was photographer Peter Hujar, who mostly captured his subjects in a striking black and white. Inspired by a 2021 book of the same name, Peter Hujar’s Day is the latest piece from writer and director Ira Sachs that brings to life a tape recording that was discovered years later in amongst the archives of his work. Set entirely in his Manhattan apartment in December 1974, journalist Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall) and Hujar (Ben Whishaw) have an in-depth conversation where he talks her through what he did the previous day.
A simple idea that mimics Hujar’s square compositions in the framing, Sachs shoots on scratchy 16mm film that neatly illustrates how this chat between friends might’ve looked. There’s an inventiveness to the craft that keeps the aesthetic from standing still, despite the tight space and two-hander nature of the narrative. The charismatic delivery of the script’s heavy dosage of dialogue is integral as Hujar can make the occasionally uninteresting feel pretty interesting, pacing around drinking tea and smoking cigarettes as he spills an intimate stream of consciousness. Dropping names into the messy anecdotes he offers up but without going into great detail of anything in particular, we get an idea of how the protagonist’s mind works, and in turn the source material provides an obscure glimpse into his artistic process.
Ben Whishaw is an actor with such skill and versatility, and this compact arthouse flick Peter Hujar’s Day is an endearing showcase of his compelling screen presence. He could make reading from the phone book seem engaging and while his co-star Hall barely gets a word in edgeways, his performance is fantastic. It’s his second film with director Ira Sachs after 2023’s romance drama Passages, and this collaboration is just the beginning of what could be a beautiful cinematic friendship.
There is currently no UK release date for Peter Hujar’s Day
Cinema Perspective 