KinoCult presents: Basquiat (1996) by Julian Schnabel
On December 22, Jean-Michel Basquiat would have turned 66. We mark his birthday with the film his friend Julian Schnabel made about him, with David Bowie as Andy Warhol. Thirty years after its world premiere, Basquiat is coming to the big screen in Bulgaria for the first time, for one night only.
New York, early 1980s. A young artist transforms the words, images, and sounds of the city into a visual language of his own. Jean-Michel Basquiat quickly becomes one of the most sought-after names in art, and his relationship with Julian Schnabel is a personal one.
Schnabel, an established artist and friend of the late Jean-Michel, makes his directorial debut with Basquiat. The two shared closeness, creative rivalry, and a sense of humor: years before the film, Basquiat recounted how he had challenged Schnabel to a boxing match, convinced that even if he lost, he would not look bad.
This personal connection shapes the film’s perspective. Schnabel combines memories and artistic invention to return to the person behind the meteoric rise - his keen eye, ambition, vulnerability, and need to paint. New York is both a place of creative freedom and a stage on which every new star quickly becomes a commodity.
At the center is Jeffrey Wright in his first leading role in cinema. His performance captures Basquiat between apparent indifference and a desire to be seen and understood. Schnabel personally shows him how to hold a brush and work at the canvas, so that painting feels like a natural extension of thought.
A remarkable cast gathers around Wright. David Bowie is Andy Warhol, someone he had known personally. For the role, the Andy Warhol Museum provided the artist’s actual wigs and glasses. Gary Oldman plays Albert Milo, a fictional artist with traits of Schnabel himself; Dennis Hopper is gallerist Bruno Bischofberger, and Parker Posey is Mary Boone. They are joined by Benicio del Toro, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Claire Forlani, and Courtney Love.
With music by John Cale and Julian Schnabel and songs by David Bowie, Public Image Ltd, The Pogues, and Van Morrison, Basquiat recreates a world where art, music, and nightlife constantly intersect. In Basquiat and Warhol’s relationship, the film finds a friendship whose tenderness struggles to survive the pressure of public attention.
Personal, partial, and populated by people from its director’s memories, Basquiat is an encounter between two artists through cinema - and a chance to get closer to the young man behind one of the most recognizable images in contemporary art.
Director and screenwriter: Julian Schnabel
Cast: Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Benicio del Toro, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Claire Forlani, Parker Posey, Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Courtney Love
Cinematography: Ron Fortunato
Music: John Cale and Julian Schnabel
Editing: Michael Berenbaum
Running time: 107 minutes
Language: English
Subtitles: Bulgarian