Peter Hujar’s Day: A mundane 18th of December that you won’t forget!
Being used to biopics of our favourite A-List celebrities that tend to cover their entire lives in the space of two hours, one might wonder what the appeal is in a film about a single day in the life of the photographer. A film that follows Peter Hujar (played by Ben Whishaw) carefully reflecting on the previous day – the seemingly unimportant 18th of December 1974 – can’t be anything more than a snooze fest, right? Fortunately for us, NO! Peter Hujar’s Day dazzling style, and fabulous performances, make this a great successor to great dialogue-driven films like 12 Angry Men (1957) and The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013).
In the 1970’s American writer Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall) decided to interview her artists friends asking them to retell, in as much detail as possible, the events of the previous day. These interviews were meant to be translated into a book; however, the project never came to be. The tape of the Hujar’s interview was lost, but in 2019 a transcript of it was found.
Director Ira Sachs (Little Men, 2016; Passages, 2023) takes this transcript as the basis for his script. In the director’s seat he makes minimalist but incisive choices that transport us and make us feel part of the conversation between Hujar and Rosenkrantz. The most brilliant aspect of the film, however, might just be Whishaw’s performance who, without need of make or visual effects, disappears in front of our eyes, completely embodying the New York photographer.
Nine minutes into the film, Hujar-Whishaw reflects on what you might be asking yourself right now (I surely was before watching it!): “So is it boring?”, and just like Rosenkrantz clearly reassures him it is not, I can now do the same to you. Peter Hudjar’s Day is a magnificent portrait of the artistic life in 1970’s New York. It is surprisingly engaging and beyond words beautiful in its setting, costumes and simple cinematography, making it Ira Sach’s best film. This week, the Dukes offers you the chance to see this film and to spend a day with Peter Hujar. I am sure a single day won’t feel like quite enough!
Written by João Eduardo Lima Belchior
See Peter Hujar's Day on 1, 3 or 5 February!
